Thanksgiving 2014

 Can I just mention how much I love Thanksgiving? I mean love. I love the food. I love spending the time with my family. Did I mention the food? This being John Henry's very 1st Thanksgiving and all made it that much more special! Everyone came over to our house for an early dinner. By the time we were done, my mom and I had to peel ourselves off of the kitchen table. I tried my hand this year at some new things.. I made cinnamon butter than I got from Little Baby Garvin, one of my fave blogs, I tried again to make crock pot green beans, and they came out amazing! I was so thrilled with the outcome! And last year John said that he liked "my moms" (really my step dads) mac & cheese better, but this year did I show him! I made the mac and cheese and it was so good! I was amazed!

And did I mention it snowed on Wednesday? If this is a sign of what's to come. I'm not happy!  

A childhood friend of mine runs her own screen-printing business and she makes all sorts of festive shirts for the holidays. I bought one for me and the babes to match. Of course trying to get a picture of all of us wearing the matching shirts together, just wasn't in the cards. So I did manage to get one of each of the kids wearing theirs! I can't wait to buy the Christmas shirts for the boys and try again!

   

 

And John Henry wore baby jeans for the very 1st time! He is so stinking cute! 

John Henry & Emma Grace on their very 1st Thanksgiving!

Pops, Jaiden & John Henry hanging out!

Thanksgiving was a success yet again this year! Glad we were able to spend the time with our family. I had to work Thanksgiving day and pretty much the entire Black Friday weekend. So needless to say right now I am damn tired! I'm hoping that next year I will be able to spend the entire day with my family. Jaiden was hopping from grandma to grandma while John Henry kept John entertained and pretty busy for the weekend. And looks like little mister is about to have a second tooth break through the gums. Wahh. 

Now it's officially 25 days until Christmas. Ready for non stop working, holiday parties, baking parties and gingerbread making parties for the win. 

Happy Holidays!

Half Birthday & 6 Month Update

6 months! Ahhhh! I cannot fathom that my sweet boy is already 6 months old! My mind is not quite ready to process the thought that in another very short 6 months he will be 1! We are trying very hard to savor and hold onto every last minute of this baby stage! Don't get me wrong, I love to watch every single second of his growing up and discovering new things, but he's just so little and when he's too big to fall asleep on my chest, I'm gonna be a little sad. 

Stats: 

Weight: 18lbs 10oz - 50th percentile

Height: 26 inches - 25th percentile

Milestones: 

1st tooth has officially broken through the gums! On many occasions he has put his fingers in his mouth and bit down and started to cry. Poor baby was so upset! 

He is still sort of sleeping okay. When he was sick for a while, we kept him in our room and now trying to get him to sleep in his crib again is hard work. I had a feeling something like that would happen.   We are trying to work on the whole crib thing this week. Fingers crossed! 

John Henry can now sit up all by his self. He can catch himself if he loses his balance 90% of the time. He loves being able to see everything from that point of view. He hates his tummy and when he is on his back he is trying to sit himself up, so naturally he is very excited when he is sitting in the middle of the floor and he can see EVERYTHING! 

John Henry is fascinated with so many things. He loves water, so sitting him in his high chair next to the turtle tank, he just stares at the water pouring from the filter for a while. He is also in love with the dog. He loves to grab her fur and whenever he sees her walking around, he is breaking his neck trying to follow. 

He is still hating life on his tummy. We've got him to where he can be on his tummy for about 10 minutes before he completely LOSES IT. He is a sitter. Still slightly supported, but he can catch himself a lot better now if he loses his balance. 

We just love him and every little bit of his chubby baby legs to pieces! He is just the happiest little guy who loves his daddy, brother, and mommy too, but Daddy and Jaiden seem to get more conversations out of him, whereas I get baby spit and sneeze and raspberries. All of which I don't mind! 

We are super excited for everything going on this week! It snowed for the first time this year, so John Henry's first time seeing snow, and it's Thanksgiving tomorrow! I got Jaiden, John Henry and I matching turkey shirts and I cannot wait to sport them tomorrow! There will be plenty of pictures to come, promise!

Football & Chicken Noodle Soup

This weekend marked my last weekend off until 2015. I have one Sunday off between now and New Years. Please God help me. I do not think that I can deal. Of course my life wouldn't be my life without some chaos and craziness. Saturday was my crazy.

This Saturday was the beginning of a cold front that has swept over our area. And when I mean cold, I mean blistering, windy as shit cold. It's stupid. I despise winter. Saturday morning Jaiden had his first game in his football playoffs. We were like 3-6 the entire season, so I wasn't quite sure that we were going to make it past the 1st game. Well of course in 30 degree weather, they end up tying the game, go into overtime, where we won with a safety! Woop Woop! The second game, John Henry stayed home with Daddy where it was much warmer. That second game was against a team that went undefeated the entire season. We scored the first touchdown, but then proceeded to get stomped on during the 2nd half. But the boys did a great job! They did not get discouraged and kept going, despite the fact that we they were getting beat. 

This was Jaiden's very first flag football season, and I would bet that it was probably his favorite sports season yet. He is already talking about spring Flag football, and then TACKLE football in the fall. Please help me. I don't think that I am ready for Jaiden to play tackle football.

After the game we had our end of season party at Sweet Frog! Jaidens favorite! I think Jaiden was more sad about the season being over because he made a lot of friends this season. So I see some play dates in the near future.

When we got home, the task for the day was cleaning house! We live right in front of about a thousand trees, so our backyard lately has been a haven for fallen leaves. It's so bad Berkley won't even use the grass, she goes on the patio. Which is a whole other story mess. John and Jaiden like to do yard work together. I think it's more because John can scare Berkley with whatever loud noise machine he seems to get his hands on. And Jaiden just loves to be outside. Any excuse he can get. Even when it's freezing!

On Sunday it was still freezing. I did a photo session early that morning and by the time I was done, my fingers were absolutely numb! I don't even know how I was able to take pictures for nearly 2 hours! I came home after picking Jaiden up from my mom, and we started making something to warm the soul. Homemade chicken noodle soup..The noodles were even homemade, and my god was it the most delicious thing I have ever tasted! Well one of them at least. Jaiden had fun helping me make the noodles, which next time will be done a lot more in advance. The process didn't appear to take as long as it did in reality, but it was a fun, white, powdery mess by the end!

It's funny cause making the soup made me think of one of my favorite books when I was a kid. Well actually I was a huge fan of the 'Chicken soup for the Soul' books, but there was one more that I was in love with when I was about Jaiden's age. This was one of my faves and I'm so glad that I snagged it from my dad's house a few weeks back! It was the perfect opportunity and made for a festive, themed evening! And I love a good theme!

So I would just like to point out, that my life is not a week behind. Seeing as my posting this particular blog entry about my weekend, well today is actually the next weekend. So just a disclaimer..My life is not behind, my mind is. Plain and simple. And writing one entry, editing, and adding photos and such apparently is a week long process. I'll get better. I promise!

Our Weekend.. A weekend late!

As always Saturdays, which I have now dubbed Saturday Shenanigans are always just that... Shenanigans. It's almost always a combination of running around like a chicken with my head cut off. And that's when I don't have to be at work at 2 in the afternoon. John Henry was looking mighty cute in his baby joggers that I found at Baby Gap. Have I ever mentioned how much that store kills me. I swear I have discovered an entirely new world. I was in love with his outfit. As I normally am, but this was picture worthy, as most are! 

The day consisted of Jaiden's last flag football game of the regular season.....

Along with the discovery of John Henry's 1st tooth. Tears were then shed by me, as this was the last milestone that signified my baby still being a baby.

Then we had breakfast with these hooligans. And when I mean hooligans, I mean make you piss your pants and start laughing so hard you burst out into uncontrollable sobs hooligans. Yup those kind.

John also got his sleeve finished, and now his fishing masterpiece is complete. And he is already planning on his next one...

And lastly, the only reminder I need every single day over the next 6 weeks is Christmas decorations. Because celebrating Thanksgiving without joyous Christmas music, and decorations galore is a thing of the past. Now I love Christmas as much as the next person. But I love Christmas a lot more when I'm at home with John and the babes; and not at work dealing with the psychos who only venture out the between Thanksgiving(because stores are now opening on Thanksgiving) and Christmas Eve.

 This year however, I do plan on fulfilling everything that we didn't do last year and more!! This would include a cookie decorating party, ginger bread house making, and my most favorite and anticipated event this year...Going to a Christmas tree farm! Eeeekkkk! I'm so excited to go and cut down our own tree! That event will include a photographer who will be snapping away pictures! Can't even wait!

Fall Festival!

Keeping with the I don't have time for anything theme that I keep somehow falling into, going to the farm this year was another one of those things. Luckily this week Jaiden was off of school both Monday and Tuesday so we seized the moment & took advantage of the great weather Tuesday and went. My sister used to work at the farm we visit every year and we luckily get by without having to pay. It ain't about where ya go, it's about who ya know! Truer words have never been spoken. I always use the farm as an excuse to get Jaiden dressed in a nice button down and try to get him to cooperatively take some pictures for me. 

By this time Jaiden was over pictures, and judging by John Henry's face, so was he. 

John Henry's newest thing is sticking his little tongue out every chance he gets. And he always make the cutest freaking faces! And Emma, well little miss has 5 teeth now and you can clearly see them all when she cheeses! 

The farm is always such fun! They have so many cool things that we always have fun doing. Our favorites have to be the pumpkin shooter. They load mini pumpkins into the cannon and they have old beat up cars with targets spray painted on the side that you try to hit. Jaiden is a pretty good shot, he managed to hit the cars both times! Along with the pumpkins are corn shooters. Yup exactly as it sounds! You load corn cobs into another shooter and try to hit the targets. Either one, it's always fun and exciting watching the pumpkins explode and seeing all the corn kernels flying everywhere on impact.  I think Jaiden's other favorite is the paintball guns. They have a tent set up with all sorts of different targets you can hit. It's apparent that him and Aunt Kelli enjoy shooting paintball guns. It is pretty fun! 

And I strategically placed this picture with the pure intention of misleading you to believe that the funnel cake and soda were consumed after the fun and games took place, in fact this is not true. They were consumed before noon and could technically be considered lunch? You only live once and what kid(and adult) wouldn't want a funnel cake for lunch? Hello? (Me)

All Hallows Eve 2014

So my favorite holiday is Halloween. When I was younger it was always Christmas, but for job related reasons as an adult, Halloween has taken the top spot as my favorite. John Henry wore a Halloween themed outfit almost every.single.day during the entire month of October and I loved every single minute of it!

John Henry on his very 1st Halloween!

My boys on Halloween morning! 

This year John and I I decided that we were going to actually "dress up." We decided I decided that going as a hunter and his doe would be the perfect couples costume. This mainly stemming from my want to do something where I didn't have to go HAM on an expensive costume and something where John didn't have to actually dress up. With him it was more of a business as usual type dress. Which worked. I got a decent picture of him and I. And I just loved my makeup. 

How great is it, that the very 1st picture that we took as a family of 4 was on Halloween. I loved it. 

John Henry as Emma looked so cute in their little baby costumes. I love baby costumes. They are awesome! Although next year I will probably make John Henry's costume. But now the real challenge is decided between now and then what he is going to be. 

And Halloween would not be Halloween without some comic relief. And yes even I the baking wonder still has epic food fails. I can make great cookies, awesome cakes.. I can bake like Betty Crocker and cook like Paula Deen but when it comes to crafty foods, my "mummy dogs" looked more like "mummy dongs." And it was the funniest thing of the entire night. And of course all at my expense. But it's okay next time these witches will just starve!