10 months old

And here we are again, another month under our belts! My baby girl is 10 months old and getting so big!

Here is what Avonlea is up to these days:
--crawling like a mad women! This child is everywhere and has discovered the dog food bowl and the washing machine!
--her first bottom tooth finally broke through on 5/27/12. She's been wearing her amber teething necklace for over a week now and it has made teething sooo much better! We've also used the Hyland's teething tablets if necessary.
--wearing 12-18 or 18 month clothing
--wearing size 4 diapers
--saying "dada", "mama", "hi", and "ball"
--starting to wave "bye bye"
--she is off of pureed foods and solely on table food
--drinking 6oz bottles
--averaging waking 1-2 times per night, which is amazing compared to what is used to be like!
--pulling up on everything and will take steps holding your hands
--hates grass but loves to be outside!

Avonlea is still a joy to have around! I absolutely LOVE the hugs she gives. She will wrap her arms around your neck and just squeeze. Melts my heart!! She is usually happy and smiles so much. We constantly get stopped at the store by strangers. She smiles at them and they just eat her up!

 *This is an 18-24 month outfit!

She loves to eat as well! Most meals, I have to cut her off either because she's ate it all or she just wont stop. We're also working more on using the cup. She does well holding it up, but she is particular about the spout on it. She still will not suck from a straw, she just chews on it.

She also loves bath time!! I'm pretty sure not a single thing in the bathroom is dry by the time she is done, but she has such a blast in the tub! I'm also drenched by the end! :)

I just love my sissy girl!!! I can't imagine life without her! She makes me smile and laugh so much!

Garden, allergies & graduation

You know, cause they go hand in hand. No?

We've had quite the busy week! On Monday, Peytonn graduated from Preschool. Their school had a little ceremony complete with caps and gowns. The kids sang some songs for the parents and then the head priest and the teachers handed out diplomas. It was really cute! I can't believe my first born will be in all day kindergarten in just a few short months!

The on Tuesday, Peytonn and I traveled to Riley Children's Hospital for more allergy testing. Peytonn's last allergy test was when he was 3 years old and he was allergic to grass, pigweed, and oak trees.

This time around, he was allergic to 9 different things. Mostly different kinds of trees and weeds. He is due to have his tonsils out in July and then weekly allergy shots will start in September.

This week, Peytonn also learned how to ride his bike without his training wheels. He is so proud of himself!!!

Our garden is coming along nicely this year, unlike last year when is was severly neglected. Which was mostly due to my laziness pregnancy. This year, all of the flower beds and the vegetable garden are in much better shape! Thanks to Pinterest, I was able to make my own tomato cages this year. They are 100 times better than the cheapo store bought ones.

So far, we've planted tomatos, broccoli, peppers (red, green, yellow), jalapenos, red onions, green onions, and cilantro. I also have 2 basil plants planted close to the house in an old, smaller flower bed. The boys are very excited because there are little baby broccoli on each plant. Peytonn also spotted 3 baby tomatoes and some peppers last night.

We've also gotten 6 qts of natural strawberries for the last two weeks in a row. With the first batch, I made some strawberry chipotle jam/sauce. Its AMAZING! I canned most of it but left some in the frig to use.

Source: cookinfood.com via Courtney on Pinterest

This week, I simply put each container in a quart size ziploc bag and froze the berries. Then I can make jam later or pull them out to use in smoothies or cooking.

But the recipe for the jam and the chipotle sauce are very good!!

Things I never thought I'd do...

Today, I'm linking up with Toddle Along Tuesday. The topic is "Things I never thought I'd do" as a parent. This should be fun! :)

1. I swore up and down and all around that I would NEVER sleep with my children! That was too dangerous!

Newsflash.....I've co-slept with all 3 of my children! Why? Uhh, cause when you're up every 45-90 minutes to feed a baby, its just easier to roll over, latch them on, and go back to sleep! But don't you worry, every one has survived and all now sleep in their own rooms in their own beds!

2. I swore I would not let my kids watch a bunch of TV.

My kids watch TV, they even watch movies. But my kids are pretty darn active and don't really sit for long. If we are inside, usually the TV is on, but that doesnt mean they are watching it. We play outside a lot and go for walks, etc. But yes, my kids do watch TV.

3. I swore I would never count 1-2-3 to my kids, like my mom did.

Ha! Well, it seems to be the only thing that works for Bennett. He needs those extra warnings to shape up. I dont have to use it for Peytonn.

4. I swore my kids would not eat junk food!

Yeeeah. It happens. For the most part though, my kids eat home cooked meals daily, with a variety of foods. My kids are not picky eaters and eat just about everything. But yeah, sometimes its hotdogs and mac n cheese. But i have been a stickler about our milk. We have always drank either raw milk or organic milk. Its just not something I am willing to budge on. So yeah, we stomach the $6-$7 a gallon for milk.

Overall, I had all these ideas in my head about what kind of parent I was going to be. In reality, I feel like I've had to change my parenting several times depending on which child it is. Peytonn is pretty easy to discipline. Bennett on the other hand, its like Parenting 101 all over again! As parents I think we do the best that we can.