Growing Up

Too many changes at once are making me a bit of a mess.  Time seems to be flying these days, Christmas came faster than ever, and my two year old baby is growing and changing into a little boy every day.

It started with our move into the "big boy bed."  We bought a mesh railing, placed one side of his bed against the wall, and started talking to Wills about sleeping in a "big boy bed."

His first night was flawless.  We followed our same bedtime routine, put him to bed, turned on the monitor, and watched.

I started to slightly panic a few minutes later when I realized his bed was empty.

No worries; he just needed a book. :)

The next night his crib came down, and the rest is history.

Then came the haircut.  William insisted that the curly mullet had to go.  I held off for as long as possible and then sent him upstairs with his dad for his first haircut.  I couldn't watch.  William promised he wouldn't cut anything but the few back pieces that fell below his shoulders.

Much better.

I did save a curl for his baby book.

Last but not least, we have started transitioning into big boy underwear.  We aren't making much progress, and I am doing a lot more laundry, but we are trying.

The truth is, I don't mind the mess or the laundry because "one day soon that little boy is gonna be all grown up and gone. This phase is gonna fly by. She's trying to hold on; it won't be like this for long."

The Christmas Season

I took a deep breath this holiday season and decided that I wouldn't try to document every Christmas carol Wills learned to sing, take a picture of all 5 stages of Gingerbread house decorating (I didn't even take one), or write about the few times I baked Christmas goodies.

This holiday season, I just wanted to be.  I wanted to be with my little boy, our family, unplugged from my computer that I spend hours working on every day.  I wanted to soak up the moment with my eyes on Wills, not behind my i-phone or computer screen.

Now that it's all over, I do have a few pictures and memories to share.  The pictures aren't perfect, details are missing, but love is there.  And more importantly, I was there.  With my boys.  I wasn't worried about writing it all down or missing a photo opportunity; I truly cherished the time away from my computer and the sound of the clicking keyboard.

By far, Wills' favorite thing this year was his nativity scene.  He learned all about Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus, knew what each wise man brought, and the animals, shepherds, and angels that were all there in Bethlehem.  He played with this nativity, and a "Little People" version for hours upon hours.  He stacked, sorted, and lined them up, and they may or may not have taken a few rides in his jeep. :)

Although he knew not to play with Mommy's manger scene, I did walk in the foyer one day and find this. 

He helped Daddy with the lights on the tree.

We decorated it the next morning.

I was able to spend a lot of time with this little Christmas baby.

We continued our "Night on the Town" tradition in Beaufort.

Santa was not a hit this year.  Oh well..

I love Beaufort's festive crowd, lights, and music, that always get us in the Christmas spirit.

Dinner at Paninis.  The tradition continues.

We hosted a fun Christmas party with friends.

Wills spent the evening making Christmas cookies with Gaga.

Jack, the elf, spent Christmas at our house and reported to Santa on Wills' behavior.  Naming him was quite the ordeal.

After fighting off an ear infection and missing his Mother's Day Out Christmas party, he was well enough for his last day and the pajama party.  He was so excited to see his friends one last time before next year.

Having the chimney swept was on the top of my Christmas list.  An indoor fire was the perfect addition to our cozy Christmas nights.

Christmas Eve church.

Wills opened his new Christmas pajamas, from my parents, on Christmas Eve.

We read The Christmas Story, Twas the Night Before Christmas, and The Polar Express while having chocolate milk and a bedtime snack.  Then it was time for Santa!

He came, emptied his sack, and was on his way!

Christmas Day! (The only picture I took.  We recorded Christmas morning, but that's it.  I am really hoping my Dad and Dede have a few to share.)

Look at this precious girl!

The day after Christmas, we stayed in our pajamas until 4 pm.  It was glorious.

Seeing this special season, through the eyes of my little boy, made it, by far, "the most wonderful time of the year." We are truly blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving

Don’t worry; I didn’t forget about Thanksgiving. It’s just that when the weather turns cold, white lights start going up around the neighborhood, and stores begin softly playing “Baby it’s cold outside,” I can’t help but get excited about the December Holiday, that I’m not mentioning today.

Why? Because it’s Thanksgiving! And I have SO much to be thankful for, including these two loves of my life!

I can’t even begin to list the blessings that surround my family. I try to talk a lot about gratitude around here. When we stop to notice our blessings (something my dad taught me to do) we become so full of JOY that we are able to regain perspective and not “sweat the small stuff.”

This Thanksgiving week, I am especially thankful for her.

Welcome to the world, Madelyn Davis. I am beyond excited to be your Aunt Evie, and I couldn’t be prouder of your mom and dad. We have so much to do together, sweet girl. I can’t wait to have sleepovers and bake cookies, watch your ballet recitals, read Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie together, tell secrets about boys, play dress up in sparkles and high heels, watch Little Mermaid, write letters back and forth as pen-pals, and be the very best of friends.

But for now, I just want to hold you and stare at you and thank God for this new life and blessing to our family. We have plenty of time to get to know each other, Maddi. Happy Thanksgiving.

White Chicken Chili

It's cold outside!  We've been busy welcoming Maddi into our family, so this white chicken chili was the perfect dinner to throw in the crock-pot.

Here's what I used, plus boneless chicken that I sauteed in a little olive oil.  (1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 2 cups of chicken broth, and a teaspoon of garlic powder)

All of it went into the crock-pot at once and cooked on low for 4-5 hours.

We topped it with light sour cream, jalapeno and a little shredded Monterrey Jack cheese.  Yum!

Data Overload

I've had my nose stuck in student data, study island scores, and virtual grade books for the last three days.  Needless to say, my eyes are crossing and my shoulders are sore from sitting in front of the computer.  Time for yoga!

The good news...I have a week off!  After tying up a few loose ends today, I'm not touching my work computer for an entire week.  I can't wait.

Pardon the randomness that is today's post.  This little peanut woke up at 5:30 coughing yet ready to play.  He is finally settled watching Mickey Mouse, so I thought I would check in with the blog.

Here's what we've been eating around here...

Green Monsters.

Hummus, avocado, and spinach sandwiches on pita bread and a lot of clementines.

Taco salads.

Pumpkin shakeology.

His and hers. ;)

This soup.  Delicious with a crusty grilled avocado, cheese and tomato sandwich.

Breakfast on the go.

One man band. (The girl guitar was inherited from our sweet neighbors and their granddaughters.)

Red wine, cozy pjs, two handsome boys, and Love Actually make for the perfect rainy Friday night.

Santa, if you're reading from the North Pole, I would REALLY LOVE this for Christmas.

Lastly, I have to share a story from Mother's Day Out this week.  Wills and I were running late Thursday morning, and I dropped him off around 9:15.  We hurried in alongside a disheveled looking dad and his little girl, who happens to be in Wills' class.  Here's the brief conversation that happened between her dad and the teacher before he quickly turned to walk away:

"For some reason Savannah Anne has a bathing suit top on, and she wouldn't take it off.  It's been a long week, so I just gave up and left it."

I couldn't help but laugh.  There she was, legging, boots, a sweet skirt, and a pink polka-dot bathing suit top.  Bless his heart.

Veggie Loaded Appetizer

This recipe is so versatile; I just love it!

Try it as a festive holiday appetizer, a fun kid friendly dinner, or a relaxing vegetarian and wine kind of night for one (which is what I chose last week while William was traveling.)

The recipe came from Celebrate Magazine's Christmas edition.  I tweaked it a little based on the ingredients I had.

Here's what I used.

I sauteed all of the veggies in garlic and olive oil.

Mixed together pesto and hummus - the recipe calls for garlic hummus, but roasted red pepper worked just fine.  I spread it over the rolled out crescent rolls.

Topped with veggies and rolled up.  Here's a tip...after rolling up, place the cookie sheet in the freezer for a few minutes.  This makes it easier to slice and stay together.

I added extra veggies, making them harder to roll and not the prettiest.  I wasn't really going for looks here. :)

Baked on 350 degrees for about 18 to 20 minutes.

So delicious!  And great as left overs, too.