Mexican Hot Chocolate

I found this recipe on the back of a Nestle's Hot cocoa packet. If is VERY yummy! I absolutely love hot chocolate though. Instead of being a coffee drinker, I'm a hot cocoa drinker. Only in the winter though, my summer craving is a Quick Trip frozen cappuccino or a cherry limeade from Sonic.

Anyway, if you like Hot chocolate, you will love this.

Mexican Hot Chocolate:

One Hot Cocoa Packet
1 cup of milk (or a little more to fill up your cup)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix it all together, add whipped cream, dash of cinnamon, and a few chocolate chips and voila! Amazing hot chocolate!

Pulling Up

Our little guy has figured out how to pull up! He is literally into everything now two feet and below. I really have to keep my eye on him! Here is a clip from tonight...

Thankful

We had a great time with Seth's family. It was so good to all be together and to reflect on what we have to be thankful for.

Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving:


Landon and Aydan were just talking and smiling at each other like this for several minutes - it was so sweet.


Miles sharing his ball with Landon


Landon with grandpa

6 Month Stats

Landon had his 6 month well child check yesterday. He had a couple shots which are just no fun, but he did great.

Here are his stats:

Weight: 17lb 8oz (50%)
Height: 28 1/4 inches (95%)
Head Cir.: 17 3/4 (80%)

So, he is a tall skinny baby with a big head :)

This weekend we are going up to Iowa to visit my family. We haven't been up there since Labor Day, so we are very excited. Of course, I still need to pack (I have always been a procrastinator...) and we're supposed to be leaving in 3 or so hours! Landon is very excited to see his Nanny & Bumpa, aunts & uncles, and his cousins. His 5 year old cousin, Clayton, is especially excited because he is "going to teach him tons and tons of things" as he told me the other day. A few weeks ago Clayton lost his first two bottom teeth and Landon got his first two bottom teeth in - the only two boy cousins on this side, they have a special bond.

Here is a picture of those pearly whites - the best I can do for right now. Landon can really say, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!" We'll see if he gets his wish.

Peek-A-Boo

One of Landon's favorite things to do lately is play Peek-A-Boo. Here is a clip of Seth playing with him.

A Neat Family

I found this blog a few months ago and have been following this family's story. They have had 5 miscarriages, they have one adopted son and they are now waiting for their soon to be second adopted baby girl to arrive. This family has had such a roller coaster ride, but through it all they have given God the glory. It is so encouraging to read.

The mother of the baby is having a c-section at 11:00 Eastern time this morning. Pray for a safe delivery and that all will go as planned.

Happy 1/2 Birthday Landon!

Today Landon is 6 months old. I can't believe how fast it goes! I'm sure I'll be saying that over and over with each birthday, but time does really fly.


A few updates on my little man:

He got his second bottom tooth in the other day.
He can now sit up on his own.
He's still not to into baby food.
He has the "scoot" down and can get anywhere he wants to go, but is still working on getting up and moving on all fours.
He says, "Mamama" Not sure if he knows what he's saying, but he always says it when he's sad and wants me to come get him.


We are just so thankful for these last 6 months that we've had with our precious boy!

Learning Early

Layla and Finn came over the other day and all three of them wanted to play the piano at once. I hope they continue to like the piano!

A visit from cousin Aydan

Brady, Mandy, and Aydan decided to visit Tulsa after the weekend in Topeka since Brady had Monday off. Here is a family picture that we took while they were here.

Landon's Love of Car Noises

This past weekend, we went to a marriage conference in Topeka. It was a very challenging and encouraging time. Landon did pretty well most of the trip. We took this movie on the way up when we had stopped to let him wiggle around. We figured out that honking the horn stopped him from crying :)

Meat Sale (Tulsa area)

Every month there is a great meat sale in Owasso. If you live in the Tulsa area, you've got to check it out. Here is this months flyer. The sale is 11/8 and I recommend you get there as early as possible as the last few times the line has been incredibly long! Hope you're able to find some great deals.

My Little OU Fan

Saying Goodbye to the Gummy Smile

Last night Landon was up several times in the night. He was just kind of being a fussy boy. This morning I felt a tooth on the bottom that must have popped through during the night! It will be sad to say goodbye to that cute gummy smile that I love so much, but at the same time all the changes are fun so much fun.

What have some of you done to help your babies through the teething phase?

Walgreen's 10/24 & 10/25

Walgreen's has some more great deals this weekend. They have released another $5/20 coupon for Friday and Saturday only (Oct. 24,25)

St Ives Elements Face Wash $4.99 use this $2.00 coupon - Get $5.00 RR ~ $2.00 Money Maker!

Benefiber Strawberry Stick packs - Buy 3 at $7.99 each, use Easysaver coupon to take $5.00 off each, and there are lots of $2.00 Manufacturer's coupons out there. So, pay $2.98, get $8.00 in RR! ~ $5.00 Money Maker!!!

Oral B Cross Action Toothbrush - $4.49 - Get $4.50 RR ~ FREE (or money maker if you have a coupon!)

Alka Seltzer Plus Cold (Regular Flavor) - $4.99 - Get $5.00 RR ~ FREE (or money maker if you have a coupon)

Gillette Fusion Power Razor - $8.99 Use $4.00 coupon (from P&G coupon insert from beginning of this month) = $4.99 - get $4.00RR ~ $.99

There are also the Free after rebate items that you could purchase with the $5/20 coupon. There are a lot of options for you to really make out good at Walgreen's this week! If you are confused by this post, refer to my previous Walgreen's post. If you are still confused, ask questions so you can start saving some money!

Ready for bed

I thought this was a sweet picture. He loves his little bear.

Pineapple Smoothie

Since pineapple was on sale at Aldi this week for $1.99 (I actually took the ad to Wal-Mart and they comped it), I decided to try a pineapple smoothie today.

1 orange (or 1 cup orage juice)
1 cup pinapple
1-2 bananas
2 big handfuls spinach
a little water

The more banana you add, the creamier it will be. The original recipe calls for a cup of yogurt and does not have the spinach (but you seriously cannot taste it so don't be afraid!).

This is a really yummy combination! Give it a try, your body will thank you :)

Ever Changing

Just wanted to do a little update of our little guy and how he's growing and changing.

He just started taking a pacifier! I had kind of given up after almost five months of rejecting it, but Brooke and I were at the mall and I decided to give it a try and to my surprise he took it and kept it in for most of the time we were there! Ever since, he's taken it just fine and it has really been a lifesaver at church and for naps and bedtime.

He is getting better at getting around. He's not quite on all fours, but he's got the scoot down. I probably need to work on baby proofing our house very soon!

He is working on teeth. I see a little white dot on the bottom side, so I don't think they are too far off. I'm going to miss that gummy smile when they do come in.

Today, Landon was having fun copying daddy by sticking out his tongue. It seems like he does something new every day. It's so much fun watching him grow and change. I am so thankful for our little boy.

Walgreens 10/17 & 10/18

If you haven't started deal shopping at Walgreens, today is a great day to jump in. There is a $5/25 coupon good for today and tomorrow, plus other great deals.

Here is one scenario that will get you a lot of bang for your buck:

3 Dimeatapp Products = $10 use 3 $2/1 Printable coupons = $6.00
3 Skippy Peanut Butters & 6 Ragu spaghetti sauces (or any combination of $15 worth of these products) = $15.00
1 Oral B Crossaction Toothbrush - $4.49

Total: $26.49
Use $5.00/25.00

New Total: $21.49

Get back: $10 Register Reward (RR) from Dimeatapp, $5 RR from Ragu/Skippy, and $4.49 RR from toothbrush
Total of: $19.49 in RR good on your next purchase

THEN:

Use all your register rewards to buy free after rebate items. You can submit your rebates online and if you choose to put them on your giftcard you will get a 10% bonus!

Items free after rebate this month:

Extreme Energy 6 Hour Shot 2 pack, 2oz - $3.99 then $3.99 rebate = FREE

L'Oreal Cleansers: Age perfect or Revitalift Cream 5 oz (or a few others listed) - $7.99 (there are coupons out there for this), then $7.99 Rebate = FREE or Overage if you have coupons

Rimmel Lasting Finish Mineral Enriched Foundation, 1 oz - $7.49 then $7.49 rebate = FREE

Other rebates from last month that are reissued for this month (not listed in catalog):

Nivia for Men Body Wash - $4.99, then $4.99 rebate = FREE

L'Oreal Revitalist anti-wrinkle concentrate, 1oz - $16.49, then $16.49 Rebate = FREE

Chemistry Hair Care 1.35oz to 12oz - $7.99, then $7.99 rebate = FREE

LypSyl LypMoisturizer, 1oz stick - $1.99, then $1.99 rebate = FREE


DEFINITIONS:

Register Rewards - This is a coupon that prints out that is good on your next purchase at Walgreens. They have expiration dates, so be sure to use them in the allotted time frame. These are considered manufacturer's coupons. So, if you are using manufacturer's coupons for other things you are buying be sure you have one coupon per item.
Example: Let's say I'm buying a package of Pampers that cost $9.99 and I have a coupon for $1.50 off and I also have a Register Reward worth $5.00. I have to buy another item to use my register reward. I usually get a pencil or something little.

Rebates - Walgreens has a catalog that they put out every month called the "Easy Saver Catalog" In it are coupons and eligible rebates for the month. You can submit your rebates at Walgreens.com and they will send you a check or a giftcard to use. If you choose the giftcard option you will get an additional 10% of whatever you are getting back in rebates that month. Once you receive your giftcard, the next month is a lot easier because you just enter your giftcard number and they will reload your funds onto that card, no more waiting for the mail to come!

Candle Lighting Ceremony

I went to a candle lighting ceremony last night. The ceremony, which took place nationwide in all time-zones at 7:00pm, was in remembrance of the precious babies each had lost. I had never been to anything like that before, but it was encouraging to talk to others who have gone through the loss of a child. There was a news team there and Landon and I made the 10:00 news! Each person would go up, light their candle, and speak the name of the baby/babies that they had lost. It was neat to hear Samuel's name broadcasted (this portion made the newscast!). If you are interested here is the link to the news story:
Video:
Grieving families gather to remember the children they lost

National Day of Remembrance of Pregnancy & Infant Loss

I read over on Bring the Rain that today (10/15/08) is the National Day of Remembrance of pregnancy and infant loss. She is going to pray for anyone that has had a loss and I thought I could do the same over here since our blogs reach different scopes of people. This is any baby that has died whether it was to miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDs, or any other type of infant death. It's strange how closely this falls to Samuel's birthday...

I wanted to recognize some of the babies I know that have gone to be with the Lord and thought that if you could pray for their parents today I know that would mean a lot to them. I know there are so many more. If you or someone you know has lost a baby at any stage of pregnancy or infant loss add their names and how they lost their baby so we can be praying for them today.

Samuel - Me & Seth
Beverly & 2 m/c - Dave and Phyllis
Esther - Jeff and Mary
Taylor & m/c - Joanne and Jeremy
Elliot - Angie and Josh
Seth - Karen and Jim
Rachel - Tina and Robert
Abel - Kimberly & Dan
Aaron - Polly and Greg
miscarriage - Jenica and Andy
May Rose - Nikki
Sam - Ingrid
Owen - Jennifer
Audrey - Angie
Sawyer - Heather
m/c - Lois and Andy
3 m/c - Danny & Kris
Isaac, Gabrielle, Stacey - Ron & Cindy
m/c - Mark & Cindy

Happy Birthday Samuel!

I can't believe it's been two years since we said goodbye to our little Samuel. It's crazy to think about how different our lives would be if he were here... We sure do miss him, but we know that he is with the Lord and we cannot wait to be joined together again.

Last night I put together a little movie of the memories we have of Samuel. It was difficult to do, but very therapeutic at the same time.

There is this neat organization called MEND (mommies enduring neonatal death) that has support groups nationwide. They also put out a newsletter bimonthly. In this newsletter there is a section where you can recognize the baby you lost by writing them a happy birthday letter. I was so encouraged when I saw that our little happy birthday message made it this month.



Also, my sweet friend, Brooke, and her mom gave me such a thoughtful gift. It was a gift card to build-a-bear. We all went as a family on Sunday and picked out a bear that reminded us of Samuel. There's something about having something tangible to squeeze... Here is what we found:

Cozy Soup

This beautiful fall weather drove me to try this new soup. I love the fall and all the yummy smells and tastes that come with it! I found this recipe for Butternut squash soup over at "A Year of Crockpotting." This lady has committed to cook out of her crockpot every day for this entire year! So far she's done it. Anyway, I liked this soup especially with a yummy whole wheat roll (Shawna's recipe). Seth thought it was ok, but he doesn't like squash (I love it). 

Anyway, just thought the colors looked pretty :)

First Attempts

Landon has been trying so hard to get around. He gets frustrated when he can't quite get to what he wants. Here is a little movie of him making his first attempts at crawling. 

My camera only has so much time to record so I couldn't record until he got to the toy, but he did get there!

"I Love Me Some Me"

You know how when you look through a stack of pictures you always look for yourself? Well, apparently this vanity is evident at a very young age. 

One of Landon's favorite things to do is to watch movies of himself as seen below...

By the way, the title of the post is a quote from a very egotistical professional football player, Terrell Owens.

New Blogger

My sister-in-law, Mandy, has started a blog! You can see pictures of little Aydan there. Go check it out and welcome her.

Random Ramblings

So, maybe my guessing chart was a little deceiving, but I really had no idea how much he would weigh... He was 16lb 7.5oz, so he's slowing down a little bit in the weight department. He was 27" long. He is starting to look really long and skinny. Everything looked good at his appointment. He had to have shots though :P

The whole shot thing is so hard. There is so much controversy out there and really strong opinions on both sides. I'm kind of middle of the road on the whole issue. I don't think all are necessary, but I still do get most of them done. I worry about the whole SIDS and autism thing that people talk about... When it really comes down to it, I realize that I just need to do the best research I can and decide before the Lord what to do then trust him with our little guy.

Anyway, things are going pretty well here. I have so many blog posts I've been wanting to do, but then get busy - you know how it goes! My joints have flared up again, so I really want to get strict on my diet to see if it really helps or not. I'll have to share some of the new recipes we are trying (carrot soup - yeah sounds gross, but it is super good!; crispy mexican wrap casserole; oriental lemon-honey pasta, and of course the different green smoothies, etc...).

I have been started to sell more things on eBay and have really started to make a little money at it. It's fun to find a "treasure" at a thrift store and see how much you'll get out of it. I recently bought a dinosaur costume for $2.90 and sold it for $20.00. Not too shabby. With the money I make, I would like to buy a good quality blender. I think either a Vitamix or a Blendtec. If you have either one, give me your two cents please!

Well, I better get something done while Landon is asleep...

4 1/2 months

Landon has his 4 month well child check tomorrow. I'm always curious to see how much he weighs, so I thought I do another poll for you all to guess. He was 15lb 10oz last month to give you a starting point.

Tulsa State Fair

Landon had his first fair experience (technically second... I was seven weeks pregnant last time we went). He did very well. He was really in awe of the bright lights, the music, and all the animal sounds. Here are some pictures...

My Boys

I just realized that after this post today, this will be the most I've posted in one month! This will make the 14th post for September. Can't believe I haven't posted more than 14 times in a month. Hopefully I will keep this up and not fall back in the slump of posting a couple times a month.

Here is a picture of the wonderful boys in my life :)

Mouse?!

I think I just heard a mouse! Oh, I really hate mice, I hope I'm wrong... but this beautiful fall weather sometimes brings these little creatures into our nice warm house. 

Last winter we had a problem with mice for a little while. I think we caught a total of seven! Three or so when Shawna and Rex were staying at our house... Yeah, it was not fun. We would catch them with glue traps and I always dreaded checking them for fear of seeing one. Finally we found a definite spot that they were coming in and sealed that off. We also put poison in our crawl-space and that was the last of the little rodents. I just don't want to deal with them again! 

You'd think since I grew up on a farm I wouldn't be afraid of a little old mouse. Well, I partly blame this fear on my mom. I think as a kid, seeing her jump from the ground to the table made me think they could eat us alive or something. Or maybe it was when one crawled up my cousin, John's, leg and he caught it there and held it screaming and crying until his dad helped him get it out. I don't know for sure, I just know that they make me scream and jump to the nearest thing off the ground.

Anyway, I think I'll just avoid the living room for a little while...

Teaching the ways of the Lord

These verses challenged me today. Already, I can see Landon watching our every move. He will soon understand what is important to us and what we think is important for him to know. I pray that Seth and I will do what these verses say, that we will continually be talking to our children about who the Lord is and what He has done for us.

Deut. 6:6-9

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.


How do we make this practical in our homes?

1. Read the Bible to our children - I try to do this even though I know Landon doesn't understand yet. I want to make it a habit.

2. When our children ask questions, take them to the scriptures. I want to help my children understand that the Word of God is where the answers are so that they will learn to look there instead of relying on me for finding what is true.

3. Memorizing passages of scripture together. This is something I definitely need to work on more myself. I want the word of God to penetrate our home and ultimately the hearts of myself and my family.

I know that I am very inexperienced in the raising of children at this point :) but these verses really encouraged me to start thinking about what the Lord desires me to teach the children that He gives me.

Fun with Photo Booth

Here are some pics we took the other day using Photo Booth



He's always trying to eat his toes. Yummy...



And here are the freaky ones...

4 Months

Landon is four month old today. He decided to show you how he can roll over in this movie...

Home-Made Applesauce

While I was in Iowa, I had the opportunity to make and can home-made applesauce. My aunt had a few trees and an abundance of organic apples! Since Landon will soon be eating solids I was excited for the chance to learn and to be able take some home. I thought I'd show you how we made it.

Pick the apples


Slice the apples (we had a special machine that strained the peel and seeds, so we didn't need to core them)


Boil the apples


Sterilize the canning jars by boiling them


Here is our special machine. It was so easy, we just put the hot apples in, cranked and out came the fresh applesauce!


Put the applesauce in jars and screw the caps on


This is called a "water bath." You just have to make sure that all the tops are covered and let boil for about half an hour.





And voila! Lots of home-made applesauce for my little man. I think I brought home 19 jars!

Fun with Cousins

Yesterday we got to spend a little time with April, Layla, and Finn.

Here is the best shot of the three cousins we could get...


I like this one of Landon and Finn. They are going to be such good buddies


Here is Landon about to eat the couch

Aiden Brian

We got to meet our sweet nephew this past weekend. Landon seemed like a giant compared to the little guy. Brady and Mandy are doing very well and are enjoying their new edition.

Caught this sweet smile while he was sleeping...

The two daddies and bubbies...

Back for a bit

Landon and I drove from Iowa to Tulsa today. My mom helped me drive the first half of the trip and we were able to take a little nap in Kansas City at the hotel my dad was staying at. Landon slept the rest of the four hour drive so that was wonderful! We had a very nice trip. We plan to turn around and get going again. This time to Hutchinson, KS to see that new precious nephew of ours.

Here is Landon learning to how to stand:

Faith & Love

Genesis 22

9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.

12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

The faith of Abraham is amazing. The Lord told him that he was going to create a nation from his bloodline, Abraham had only one son and was asked to sacrifice him. Isn't it amazing that Abraham never questioned God when He told him to sacrifice his one and only son? I can't imagine what was going through Abraham's mind... No one had ever been resurrected at this point in history, yet did he think the Lord was going to raise him from the dead if he did in fact sacrifice his son? Wow, to trust the Lord in this way... May the Lord increase my faith!

Reading this story also makes me think of the Lord's love for us. That the Father did not stop His own hand from sacrificing His only Son for the sake of us sinners. What love is this? To give up His one and only and perfect son for the sake of another... May we praise Him today for His great love!

More Giggles

Landon just loves his aunt Bekah. She can make him laugh more than almost anyone! Here he is giggling...

He's Here!

Aiden Brian is here! He weighed in at 7 lbs and was 19 inches long. I'm still in Iowa, but plan on going to Hutchinson to see the baby on Friday. I will post pictures sometime this weekend. Praise the Lord for a safe delivery!

A NEW COUSIN!

My sister-in-law, Mandy, is currently in labor. She is at 8 cm and going all natural. Pray for her and the baby! I'll update as I hear more...

Last Labor Day...

I was just reflecting back to last year at this time. I found out on Labor Day that I was pregnant - the best news ever! It is neat to look back and see how much has changed in a year. We are so thankful the Lord carried me and our precious boy safely through my pregnancy and allowed us to be parents to such an amazing blessing!

Here is the link to what I wrote when I found out that I was pregnant...

Finding Out