Boo Bear

My little Boo Bear is 15 months old now!! And sassy, sassy, sassy!! It has like taken over her little body. For real. We're elbow deep into the shrieking and arching of the back if we're not getting our way or a toy is taken from her by her brother. It's awesome.




Here is what she is up to this month:
--still in size 4 diapers and 18 month clothes
--barely into size 4 shoes, still a little big
--finally walking!
--Eats just about  everything on this planet
--still on soy, almond, or coconut milk. Although I have been giving her the Pediasure drinks 1-2 times per day to help her gain some weight and they are safe for Lactose intolerance. Which leads me to think that might be her problem.
--sleeping mostly through the night, waking 1-2 times per night for a quick pop of the pacifier in the mouth
--she has become more attached to the pacifier. I'm not that concerned, we broke Bennett right before his 2nd birthday with no problem.
--I'm not sure what she weighs but she feels skinny to me. Hence why I started giving her the Pediasure. I plan to ask her doc about it at her appointment next week.

This past weekend we went down to visit my sister and my niece Evie. They were having their town festival and the kids loved it! The boys got about 3 bags full of candy from the parade.

They had a bunch of hand made items at the festival. I got this hand knitted hat and a pair of hand knitted hand warmers for me for $20 total. I had been checking out the hand warmers on Etsy and the cheapest I could find was $28, so these were a steal!
 

Here is a picture of my sister with the girls. Evie has a good 5-6 lbs on Avonlea now! But she is so stinkin' cute! Evie got the weight but Avonlea got all the hair! :)



*playing at the park*

Overall, we are well into toddlerhood. But its fun and exciting too, seeing all the different things she is learning. She loves to  wave and gives big hugs and kisses. She is a daddy's girl for sure!

Jeans

Avonlea is this skinny minnie now! I am having the hardest time finding pants that will fit her that are not leggings. She needs the 18 month length but the 12 month waist size. We probably have 1-2 pairs of jeans and the rest are leggings.

I heard of this store on Etsy that has adjustable waist AND length jeans! And they have cute fabric on the cuffs when rolled up.

They have designs for both boys and girls. The name of the store is Pomona Project. I just bought this pair and I'm hoping this may solve some of our problem. The price is a little salty at $28.95 plus shipping, but I am justifying it by the fact that they adjust in waist and length. This should cover multiple sizes in pants, at least two sizes which would be about $9.99 at Children's Place per pair of jeans. Plus, I think (and this is just judging by the pictures) the jean material on these hand made ones looks a bit softer and easier to move in.

I can't wait to try them out!

Recent recipes

I've been in a cooking funk lately. Normally I love cooking, but lately, it seems like more of a chore than anything else. And then there's the clean up. Ugh! Needless to say, its been quick meals or take out here lately for the most part. But, in all my agony, I have cooked up a few good ones off of Pinterest.

*chicken foil packets*

Source: bestlife4moms.weebly.com via Courtney on Pinterest

*Mushroom soup*

Source: blog.seasonwithspice.com via Courtney on Pinterest

*Chocolate mug cake*

Source: budgetbytes.blogspot.com via Courtney on Pinterest

*Baked Meatball Subs*

Source: recipenewz.com via Courtney on Pinterest

*Lemon Buttermilk Pancakes*

Source: pinlavie.com via Courtney on Pinterest

*Honey Lime Shrimp*

Source: thedoughwillriseagain.wordpress.com via Courtney on Pinterest

*Irish Beef Stew* (REALLY good!)

Source: laurenslatest.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Today is a better day!

Today is much better than yesterday. And I'm sure tomorrow will be even better! I'm getting there, back to my old self.

Yesterday was a little rough for me. I didn't sit and bawl my eyes out, but it was on my mind all day. I was sad, sad that I wasn't pregnant anymore. Even though this baby was a complete surprise and I may have had a slight freak out moment when I first found out, I was excited and happy to be expecting another little one. And then so quickly it was over.

Yesterday was just an up and down day for me. I was sad, but at the same time I know that maybe next time the timing might be better. I might be a little more prepared. I won't have a 14 month old and be pregnant  with my 4th baby. We might have a 4 bedroom house instead of a 3 bedroom.

I did a lot of praying yesterday, just to have a calm peaceful heart about all of this. Trying not to over think things and just be content with what is and what isn't.

And so here I am, with a brighter heart this morning. A better outlook on things. Ready to start a new chapter and move forward.

I'm changing my focus to the upcoming open house we have this weekend and maybe a few small things I could do to the house before then to *hopefully* snag someone to make us an offer.  And focusing more on myself and increasing my exercise and improving my diet. Doing some things for me.

But for now, I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone for their support and prayers. I truly have some amazing family and friends. I've had a lot of people checking up on me and I truly appreciate it, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you!

A weekend to remember..

This weekend the Hubby and I went down to Brown County. It's so beautiful down there this time of year with the colors of the leaves and the amazing views.




We stayed at this nice little bed and breakfast right in the heart of Nashville called The Artist Colony. The room was very clean and we even had a balcony that overlooked a  courtyard.

Nashville is just this cute little town with over 200 little shops to walk around to. I've been going to Brown County and Nashville since I was a little girl. We always used to eat at this corner restaurant called the HobNob. It's still there today and as good as ever!


That white building on the corner is it! There was a little band playing on the corner in front of the court house. The weather was great, sunny and in the 50's. We had a great time and some great food.

However, at the end of last week I started spotting. This was also about the time I would normally start my cycle so I didn't really think much of it. Saturday I started to bleed and it has continued since then. I went in for a blood test on Monday to check my HCG levels. My levels were in the negative numbers which  confirmed that over the weekend I had a miscarriage. I'm sad and disappointed. But I know in my heart it just wasn't meant to be and one day I will get the chance to meet that little person. Until that time, I can only trust that God has a plan for us and for that little person. I'll be ok and one day I can hope that God will bless us with another little one.

It's a good thing.....

It's a good thing we got the van because it appears as though in late Spring/early Summer we'll be welcoming baby #4!!!

WHAT?!

I know, I know! We were still debating on another baby and God made that decision for us. We were a little shocked but we feel truly blessed and are excited to complete our family.



I am totally bloated and feeling not so great already. I'm down 3lbs already. Surprisingly, evenings are the worst for me.

I am kind of not wanting to find out the gender of this baby, but Hubby still wants to. I feel like it would be a great surprise for our last little one. Plus, we already have boys and a girl, so we are happy with either gender. But who knows, maybe I'll change my mind in the coming weeks.

Until then, my focus is on either trying frantically to sell our house so we can get a 4 bedroom house. Or, deciding how we're going to work this. We always have the option of building a wall in our game room and adding a closet to make it 4 bedrooms. But I only want to do that if we absolutely have to. We'll see I suppose.

P.S. I feel safe posting this here for all 4 of you that actually read this blog. :) ha!

New ride

On Saturday this mama got a sweet new ride!! I have to say, never in a million years did I think I would be driving a minivan again. But, I was soooooo over the Jeep and the 3 acrossIcantouchmybrotherateverychanceIget carseat situation. I needed to separate the boys on a semi-permanent basis and still have room for groceries. And don't you worry, my husband definitely gave me the "I told you so" talk about the Jeep.

We ended up getting a 2012 Honda Odyssey. It has all the space and amenities I wanted. It drives like a dream, the boys are separated, and the kids can watch their "Mighty Machine" videos at a drop of a hat. I love, love, love it!!! And yes, my husband has already informed me that I will be driving it until it dies. Which, if Honda's name holds true, should be in about 15-20 years! Geesh! :)

But it has a very nice set up on the inside with plenty of room. It seats up to 8 people, but we took out one of the captain's chair in the 2nd row for easier access to the 3rd row.


We put Bennett all the way in the back, Avonlea in the middle seat in the 2nd row, and Peytonn on the driver's side captain's chair. This has worked out well. The kids really like it so far and so do I. I was smart and got the all weather mats to help protect the carpet (we all know how 3 kids can destroy just about anything!) and I haven't allowed them to eat or drink in the car. I'd like to keep it from being able to produce a 3 course meal at any given time.

I am very happy with our purchase and we got a good deal on it! I love the space and the features. It should last us a good few years, or 20! :)