3-Party-Type-of-Saturday

On Saturday we had 3 birthday parties to attend.  It was a crazy day, but I was thrilled that the timing worked out that we were able to go to all of them for at least a little while.

We started out the morning with Carter, Mackaylan’s buddy, from school.  He had a fishing party for his 7th birthday and it was a blast!  The location was perfect, and even though the O’Shields didn’t catch any fish we had a great time!

We left Carter’s bash to head off to celebrate with one of Lydia’s friends- Jenna.  This was her first birthday and it was full of friends, family, food, and fun!  Jenna and Lydia only share sweet smiles right now, but I have a feeling there are many more parties, sleepovers, and play dates in our future!

And last, but definitely not least, we ended our day with MP’s birthday party at the movie theater.  Mackaylan was not only excited about celebrating with MP on her special day, but that the movie of choice was Dolphin Tale.  The girls were encouraged to dress up for this occasion so Mackaylan decided that the big hat and sunglasses would be appropriate for this “red carpet” event! :)

Needless to say, we were all worn out by Saturday night, but it was definitely worth it!  Happy Birthday to Carter, Jenna and MP!  We hope this is your best year yet!!!! 

5 Months….Really?!

 

Check out the drool in this picture.  PRICELESS!

I know I say it every month, but I really can’t believe that Lydia is already 5 months old!  Her one year birthday will be here before we know it.  I love everything baby, but I have to admit that this is one of my favorite stages.  She is so alert and is happy all of the time.  She just smiles and smiles, especially when Mackaylan is in the room.

 

This is the look on her face anytime Mackaylan is around! 

This month we started introducing solids and so far she seems to like oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and pears.  I really want to try my hand at making some of her own baby food, but right now we are sticking to the KISS (Keep It Simple, Silly)  philosophy and buying it at the store.  She is wearing 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers.  I had to pack up the bouncy seat and play gym because she has outgrown them, but she just loves her Exersaucer and rocking chair. 

Cheese!

She is not crawling yet, but she has discovered that she can roll and “scootch” her way to get just about anything that she wants.  She has 2 little teeth and is cutting more because she drools constantly.  Mackaylan never wore a bib unless she was eating, but we have to keep a bib on Lydia all the time, and sometimes change it out because it gets so wet itself! CRAZY!  She still wakes up at least once a night to eat, but always goes right back to sleep.  It may sound weird, but I actually enjoy that time with her and will miss it when she starts sleeping all night.  I am still nursing and pump 2x when I am at work, but sometimes she has to take a bottle or two of formula while we are apart.  I never thought I would love nursing as much as I do, but it is such a special time for us and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

See those 2 little teeth?

Lydia is such a special addition to our family and we all love her so much!  Happy 5 months, Lydi Lou!!!!! 

Lydia and her pal, Violet. 

I leave you with one more picture just because I love it……

 

Mom, I’m done.  Please put the camera away!

She’s Getting So Big!

Just last week I realized that Lydia was too big for her bouncy seat.  Now, this week, we can add her activity gym to the go-ahead-and-put-me-in-the-attic list! 

This is how I found her after walking out of the room for a split second:

So, I took off the bars and attached the toys to the loops so she could still enjoy the mat for “tummy time.” 

That was all well and good for about 3.5 seconds.  Then she decided that she wanted to pretend she was a caterpillar and hide in her chrysalis:

Now, she did make a beautiful little butterfly once she emerged, but I figured this “game” would be deemed unsafe by some so we moved on…

to her rocker! And as you can see, she was all smiles! 

Wordless Wednesday

These are the people who have my heart!

Scrumptious Sunday

Last week while I was reading Kris’ blog she had several posts of some of her favorite quick and simple meals for “Real Moms.”  One recipe in particular caught my eye: Biscuit Waffles!  You see, I love breakfast food… cereal, muffins, cinnamon rolls, eggs, sausage, pancakes, etc.  The only problem is I barely have enough time in the mornings to spread icing on a Toaster Strudel more or less whip up a delicious, hot breakfast for my family.  Until now…..

The next time you are at the grocery store, grab a pack of biscuits.

I decided to use the Honey Butter flavored ones because that is what Kris suggested, but you could use a different kind if you would like.  It is totally up to you…

Next, take out your waffle iron, heat it up, and spray a light coating of PAM on it for good measure,

This waffle iron belongs to my mother-in-law.  I have been “borrowing” it for the past 14 months!  Now that I have discovered this recipe she may never get it back! J/K

Once the iron is preheated, take a biscuit and place it in the center of the waffle iron.

Close the iron and wait patiently!

FYI:  I didn’t let the “waffle” cook until the timer went off.  I am not sure of the exact cooking time, but after a minute or two I opened it up and this is what I saw…

Scoop it up, place it on a plate, lightly spread with butter and drizzle with syrup.  Serve it alongside a few strips of bacon and you have one delicious meal!

So, there you have it.  A recipe that is  simple, quick, easy and delicious.  What more could a working mom ask for? Enjoy!

Things to Remember

This blog post serves as nothing more than record keeping for my sweet Lydia.  There are certain things that I will always associate with Lydia’s birth and her first few months of life…

The Royal Wedding- Live coverage began at 4AM.  Since I was up at all hours of the night/morning feeding a newborn anyway, I joined in the fun and stayed up to watch every minute of it.  I even woke Mackaylan up a little earlier for school that day so she could watch history in the making!

American Idol- I have been an American Idol fan since Season 1.  I was a little unsure as to how I would like this season with the new judges and all, but it was probably one of my favorites.  I remember sitting in the living room, rocking Lydia, and crying like a baby when Lauren sang the tribute to her mama near the end of the season. Can you say hormones???!  

House Hunters- The week my mom stayed with us we watched many episodes of House Hunters.  Mackaylan even took a short break from Backyardigans to join in the fun!  Each night after dinner we all sat in the living room to watch this show.  At the end of each episode we would all cast our vote for our favorite house.  Let’s just say I learned a lot about real estate that week!

Flooding- I will always remember the flooding in Memphis, TN and surrounding areas and all the news coverage that surrounded this tragedy.  Even Mackaylan still associates floods with the Mississippi River.

Good Morning, America- During the months that I was home with Lydia I became loyal fan of Good Morning, America.  I enjoyed watching this show each morning because I felt like the stories were fresh and the anchors were real.  During the first few weeks following Lydia’s birth Josh Elliot and Laura Spencer joined the show.  These two reporters made GMA even more practical and exciting!  On the same lines, Lydia and I also enjoyed watching Lady Gaga kick off the GMA Summer Concert Series.

The Talk- While we are talking about TV, I guess it is only pertinent that I document how much I enjoyed watching The Talk each day at 2:00PM.  During this time, I would kick back in the recliner and savor the last few minutes with my baby before big sister, Mackaylan, would return from school.  Then it was time for snack, homework, and Nick Jr.   Just for the record, my favorite part of each episode was the beginning when the ladies were just sitting around discussing various topics.  Most of the time I would end up in stitches laughing along with them which was good for my emotional health during those first few weeks postpartum. 

And of course this list could go on and on, but I will stop here.  I wanted to take the time to blog these thoughts and current events so we could have it to look back on it as Lydia grows older. 

Lydia is now officially 5 months old so I will try to get that post up later this week!

The Verdict is in…..

So, yesterday Lydia was given her first taste of real food: Oatmeal.  We prepared the cereal, grabbed the bib, charged the batteries in the camera, and all gathered around the highchair for this memorable occasion…

Lydia waited patiently just like a big girl.

The first real bite!

Here comes that spoon again…

    This is definitely interesting!

She’s like Mikey.  She likes it!

Yes, Lydia.  Do you have a question?

Can I have some more, please?!

“S”Saturday!

This Saturday can be summed up in just a few words:

1- Smiles- These two sisters had a great day!  Mackaylan was excited to be able to hang around the house and play, and Lydia is always happy anytime her big sis is around!   

2- Spartanburg- Mickey had an errand that he wanted to run in Spartanburg and since Pizza Inn was on the way we all decided to go with him.  Nothing better than Chocolate Chip Pizza with the family! (No, we didn’t eat an entire pizza even though I think I could! ha)

3- Snuggles- After we came back from Spartanburg, Lydia and I snuggled in for an afternoon nap.  Let me just say… it was just what I needed! 

3- Swinging- Lydia loves to swing!  This was how I found her after leaving the room for just a few minutes!  She was so proud of herself and was laughing at her newfound position.  I was proud that I had remembered to buckle her in. 

4-Sandwiches- Believe it or not I actually cooked supper tonight!  I’m not sure if you have heard of The Crockpot Girls, but they have a page on Facebook that has gone viral in the past few weeks.  The recipes are quick, simple, and delicious.  I love using my crockpot and will be using it a lot more in the next few weeks and months.  Anyway, today I made the Roast Beef. Sandwiches. 

The recipe is so simple:

Ingredients:

• chuck roast
• can of Beef Broth
• packet of Beefy Onion Soup Mix

Directions:

1. Place the roast in the crockpot.
2. Sprinkle the meat with the Beefy Onion Soup Mix.
3. Pour in the Beef Broth.
4. Cook on Low for 7 hours.
5. Shred and Enjoy.

* I topped our sandwiches with Provolone cheese and melted it in the oven.  Mickey ate his as an open-faced sandwich, but I made a regular sandwich.  Next time, however, I will use a crustier bread because with all the juice I ended up having to eat it with a fork! Either way it was delicious!

5- Cereal- Tonight we decided to give Lydia her first taste of cereal.   I will do another post with more pics, but here is one of my favorites.  The look on her face is priceless.  She wasn’t quite sure what to think of something other than mommy’s milk, but she obliged and ate a few bites. 

6- Shakes- After supper we headed out to get milkshakes.  Mickey loves ice-cream, and always drinks every last drop! While I’m not much of an ice-cream lover, I love an Oreo milkshake and will jump at the chance to enjoy one with my family any chance I get.  

And I can’t end this post without including this picture of Lydia giving her big sis a great big Smooch!!!  Be still my heart…..