E-Mealz

I literally gasped out loud and got giddy with excitement when I found this website via this blog today. Basically, for $5/month or $1.25/week, this website will create a menu complete with recipes and a shopping list for whatever store you shop at, and it's based off of what is on sale that week. Genious! The only thing better than this would be if someone would come to my house and cook it for me. Why didn't I think of this? My mind is blown, and I'm signing up for this ASAP. I signed up for the giveaway so fingers crossed I win a month's subscription. Join me in saving time and money and sign up too!

Teddy Love

Some of my favorite moments with the girls happen on our bed in the mornings. Now that they are turning into such little people, they are becoming more and more aware of their "Big Brother." Most of the time (sadly) the Tedster gets a little neglected and/or stepped on because I can't see underneath hauling 2 girls around from room to room. But in the mornings he gets some special snuggle time from the girls, and they usually take a break from pulling his ears/grabbing fistfulls of hair/gouging out his eyes and let him curl up next to them while they snooze. Other than when he catches a stray piece of turkey/cracker/cheese cube off the highchair, I'm pretty sure it's his favorite part of the day, too.

xoxo

Ten Year Reunion

This past weekend was my 10 year high school reunion. So insane that it's already been ten years. I must say that everyone looked amazingly great, and it was an absolute blast seeing/talking to everyone and just seeing this group of people all together in the same place again. It brought back such great memories.  I had grand intentions of taking lots of other pictures, but never seemed to find the time to take more than just one! This was at the very end of the night in the midst of lots of dancing. You can see the top of my head if you look closely. :) I hope I don't have to wait 10 more years to see everyone again! 

Goooooooo Bulldogs!!

xoxo 

Nine Months

Ok, I'll spare you the whole "I can't believe they're so old" line...again. But seriously, I can't believe they're so old. Do you know what this means? I have to start at least kinda sorta thinking about what we're going to do for their first birthday. Let me just say, I'm in complete denial. To the point that I might consider thinking about their first birthday party on October 22nd. I was thinking the other day that I can't believe it's been 9 months since that day at the hospital when they pulled the 2 sweetest babies I'd ever seen out of my belly (yikes, that's maybe a little graphic, but true). I blame the sleep deprivation, countless hours of worrying if I'm a bad mom/feeling guilty/realizing time is slipping through my fingers for why it's hard for me to remember what it was like gazing into these tiny sweet faces just days after we came home (I actually have little recollection of the first month or so). All I remember feeling was immense exhaustion and love all at once. I even had a break down or two because I felt like we didn't take enough pictures of the girls for the first 6 weeks or so. What if I forgot how they looked sleeping at 4 o'clock in the afternoon? Have I mentioned I was a mess of sleep deprivation and hormones there for awhile (and maybe still)?
Ok, I'll move past the weepy reminiscing and onto more fun things, like all the exciting things these little 9 monthers are up to.

Sophie Kay

This little chunky monkey makes me laugh nearly every day. And not like the giggling laugh we all do at our babies, I mean she literally cracks me up constantly. Her hilarious expressions, screaming when she doesn't get food fast enough or you're not paying enough attention to her, her delirious belly laughs in the evening when she is so tired and I swear she understands every word of our conversations, or her insane bouncing in her jumperoo. I could go on and on. This girl is hilarious. She is also, incidentally, the greatest little snuggler in the world. Every time I pick her up, she grabs me has hard as she can, hugs me, and squeels with delight. It makes me want to just squeeze the life out of those rolls. She is a great eater, an even better sleeper and all in all just pure delight.
As far as her "tricks", here are a few...
-clapping her hands and feet with equal expertness
-is now able to mimic us shaking our head back and forth (again, cracks me up)
-goes from sitting position to all fours, to stomach, then screams out of frustration while kicking feet and hands (much like the superman position) because she hasn't figured out this crawling thing yet
-would rather stand while holding onto you or any piece of furniture than be in any other position
-can successfully roll to something she really wants (like the laundry basket, remote, or my phone)
-talks and talks and talks and talks. we are hearing new consonant sounds all the time (however, yet to hear my name yet). Says "dada" pretty consistently. When she gets really excited, she starts repeating "a-ga-a-ga-a-ga" in this whispery/hyperventilating voice. It's hysterical.
-still gets scared incredibly easy. If I run the disposal, blender, or vacuum in the same room as her, she screams like she just saw a ghost. It's hilarious and so sad at the same time.

At our nine month appointment, she was 19 lbs. 12 oz. and 27 in. Which puts her in the 50th percentile for height and 75th percentile for weight.

Campbell Jane

My sweet little CJ. I love watching both of their personalities develop and see daily how insanely different they are. Campbell is my little observer. She looks all over our house, outside the window, up at the ceiling constantly like she is always seeing it for the first time. I absolutely adore the way her face lights up when she first sees you or something else she loves for the first time. She goes nuts when she hears Kyle's voice when he comes home from work and starts frantically looking all over for him. I ask Kyle all the time if he loves those first few moments of when he comes home and sees both girls grinning from ear to ear. It always makes me think of when my sisters and I were little and my dad would come home. We would run for the door and all grab onto his legs like we hadn't seen him in ages. I'm pretty sure Campbell would run and grab a leg if she could! I can tell that while I don't think she will be a really reserved girl, she will be the one who always laughs at her sister's antics. She loves to laugh (like her mama), and it's the most genuinely sweet sound ever. One thing she does that also cracks me up is her recent ability to "dance." We have no idea where she learned it, but almost every time she hears music of some sort, or the songs on their toys, she starts moving her whole body and head in a dancing motion. My friend, Mary, made the most hilarious observation the other day that I keep thinking about: "How can the Baptists think dancing is wrong? It's innate!" I have to say after watching CJ dance, it must be, because we certainly didn't teach her that (and no offense intended to any Baptists). She has such a little zest for life, and we love watching it develop.
CJ's "tricks":
-thisclose to crawling! she pulls her legs up under her when on her stomach onto all fours, rocks a little, then collapses back onto her tummy. She can also consistently get from a sitting position to all fours and vice versa. I'm telling ya, days until this one is on the move!
-eats because I insist she tries to eat 3 meals a day, but I'm pretty sure wouldn't miss food if I didn't give it to her
-is really good at reaching "into" almost anything. she loves exploring new things/drawers and trying to find hidden toys in places
-working on the sippy cup, but mostly loves to dump out water everywhere
-is very photogenic. I swear she "poses" for pictures, and I can almost guarantee a smile from her in 90% of the pictures I take of her (Sophie's eyes are usually closed-darn flash).
-loves her own reflection. I set her up on the changing table so she can face the mirror almost every morning because she makes the sweetest faces and coos while looking at herself, as if she's thinking, "Gosh, I'm pretty!"

At the nine month appointment, she weighed in at 19 lbs. 7 oz. and 28 1/2 in. which puts her in the 75th percentile for both weight and height.

The girls are really getting into such a fun age. While each stage has its fun parts, they are really turning into little people, and I'm starting to have so much fun with them. Here are a few pics of our summer adventures...

Sophie and Sophie

CJ and Daddy

Summer duds

Ornery

love being messy

notice Sophie has less food on her-not much goes to waste!

A visit from Nana and Papa

Dad and Sophie

Stinkers

Is this hat not hilarious? Aunt Sara brought them back from San Francisco. Sophie couldn't keep it on long enough for a picture.

Playing with our friend, Addie Cooley

Playing with Nana

Playdate with our friend, Bryn Doty

CJ and Daddy

I'm sure you're wondering where the picture of the both of them together is with our chalkboard. These girls are such little busy bees that I seriously couldn't get a single pic where they were both looking/smiling. It was insanity. 

Can't wait to see all the fun we're having a month from now (double digits!) ;)

xoxo

Dance Body

If you know me, you know it's no secret that I'm a fan of dance. Having been a dancer a good majority of my life, it's something I don't think I will ever lose passion for, and I hope so much (but with no added pressure) that at least one or both of my girls will fall in love with it the way I did. No, not the crazy stage mom, hyper competitiveness that it can sometimes be, but just the passionate love that comes with expressing yourself through movement. I can whole heartedly say that dance gave me poise, confidence, and strength (both physical and emotional) that nothing else could. I also credit my 15 years of competitive dance for the quads and calves I still have today (muscular and anything but "tiny"). I wish every so often that I could beam myself back to my dance days and feel the exhilaration that comes with it.
Being a fan of dance, I'm undoubtedly a fan of the show "So You Think You Can Dance." I eat it up and live vicariously through them every week. My own personal front runner this season is Melanie. Not only is she an insanely amazing dancer, her body represents everything I hope Sophie and Campbell aspire to someday in the journey of their own personal body image: strength, beauty and grace.

While most female dancers have rocking bodies, I just especially love hers. Every part of her body screams strength, and I can only hope that in a world that expects girls to eat little and work out hard to maintain a good figure, that my girls view their bodies as strong and beautiful tools that help them achieve their dreams. Like most parents, I hope my children find something in this world they are passionate about. I guess I lean towards the athletic side because I feel like being involved in athletics/dance my entire life, I somehow missed out on that whole pressure to not eat to be thin thing (I did push ups every day in 8th grade because I wanted toned shoulders and biceps) I always used food as fuel for the things I loved most (I still really really enjoy food, minus being extremely active, which is sometimes a problem when you want to lose baby weight). So I'm not sure who I have to thank for always wanting to look muscular and athletic in my childhood like olympic volleyball players and professional dancers as opposed to Kate Moss, but I can only hope we somehow instill that desire in our girls someday.

P.S. Click here to see Melanie and Marko's unreal lyrical hip hop routine! 

And if you aren't watching "So You Think You Can Dance", you should start! Wed/Thurs @ 7 on Fox.

xoxo

Food and Sippy Cups

What do these 2 things have in common? The ability to make a ginormous mess in the kitchen. It's been hilarious (and sometimes frustrating) to watch how each of my girls handles each of these. Sophie eats like she has been doing it for years. And not just baby food, but that girl picks up each and every piece of finger food I put on her tray and feeds it to herself. Such a big girl! She also is really getting the hang of the sippy cup. I would hardly call her a pro at it, but she manages to get a little bit out each time. Campbell Jane, on the other hand, likes pushing her food around, squeezing it in her hand, hiding it in her highchair, and as far as the sippy up goes, she's a pro at making a giant puddle of water on her tray (and floor beneath her), and thinks it's the funniest thing ever to do so. Since I took the little valves out of the sippy cups to make getting water out easier, it also is a huge mess to clean up. I think I could take a picture of them every day in their highchairs. They look so sweet in them, and their dirty little faces are priceless. 

Hey Soph, you have a little something on your face...

I'm too sweet to get mad at...

Big girl!

Big mess!

Incidentally, meal time is also their favorite time to interact with each other. I don't know if it's being up high or what, but Sophie gets Campbell laughing so hard almost everytime we eat. Mostly because she likes to swing her head back and forth, lean over the side of her chair, and try her hardest to wiggle out of it. They also both start banging their hands on the trays as soon as I put them in (thanks Daddy). And almost every meal, I have to separate the chairs because they love trying to grab each others' hands across their chairs. It's heart meltingly precious and a big distraction all at once. 

Whatever am I going to do when they start learning how to throw food at each other? ;)

xoxo

Dreaming of fall...

I don't know about ya'll, but this heat is almost as depressing to me as Oklahoma in Mid January. I feel like the girls and I camp out most of the day inside with the AC, venturing out once or twice a day to avoid going stir crazy (and I never stop sweating the entire time we are out and about). This past spring we enjoyed almost daily walks, taking our jogger to the parks with Kyle on the weekends, and even taking a short stroll to the neighborhood pool. It now seems too hot even for the pool. Ick. And allow me to say, I hate to be one of those people who thinks the grass is greener no matter the season, and I do realize we choose to live in Oklahoma as opposed to say, LA or Colorado. But gosh how I wish I could transport a different climate to our great state right now. So in order to stay sane, I've started daydreaming about fall weather, the girls' first birthday (what?!), cardigans, and one of my top 10 favorite things in the world...PUMPKIN. And I'm talking about edible pumpkin (although I am looking forward to buying some for our front porch this year, pumpkin scented candles, and pictures of the girls with pumpkins. OH the picture possibilities!) Do any of you have foods that you would eat with just about anything? Bacon, avocado, cream cheese, and pumpkin all fall into this category for me. Some of my favorite pumpkin flavored dishes include pumpkin bars (a la my mom's recipe), pumpkin waffles, pumpkin dip served with nilla wafers, pumpkin cream cheese muffins, pumpkin cookies with cream cheese icing, and perhaps this delicious recipe I discovered today...

Pumpkin Pie cupcakes with graham cracker bottom

Recipe here.

Word of warning: this looks like quite an intense recipe. You actually have to bake the frosting because it is basically pumpkin pie in frosting form on a vanilla cupcake with graham cracker on the bottom. I'm thinking it sounds totally worth it; alas, this may just be a recipe for those passionate about pumpkin (me).

I realize I could whip up any of these recipes year round, but it somehow only seems right to make these post September. 

But I'm greatly considering breaking this rule, eating my pumpkin cupcake on the back patio, and pretending a cool 70 degree breeze is blowing through my sweat-soaked hair...

xoxo

DIY

I usually run from these 3 letters. However, lately I've somewhat embraced them. Call it stay at home boredom, a loose version of the word "hobby", something new to do during naptime, our-computer-was-broken-and-I-had-nothing-else-to-do activities, etc. Whatever it may be (and I'm hesitant to call it "crafting"), I'm kinda on a roll. So, naturally, I thought I'd share with you all how Martha Stewart-ish I've been lately.

P.S. I got all of these ideas (except one) from pinterest.

This is our folding table in our laundry room. As you can see, we don't use it for folding. However, it's a nice little "catch all" place. I have had a hideous dry erase board hanging in our study for a few months now for Stella and Dot purposes. I had brainstormed every idea possible on how I could make it prettier without buying a new one with no luck. Then, pinterest came to the rescue! Half off picture frame from Hobby Lobby + 1 yard of cheap fabric = a non-hideous dry erase board. I just used the cardboard thingy that came with the picture frame and wrapped the fabric around it and secured with hot glue (ok, I really used scotch tape, but hot glue sounded more crafty. No one sees the back anyways, right? BTW, this is why I never make things. I have no patience to wait for a hot glue gun to heat up) 

If I were to give myself a gold medal for my projects, this one might get it (ie. it took more than 10 minutes to make, required some patience, and the dreaded hot glue gun). I got this idea off of pinterest, as well. Link to original project found here. As you can see, I changed a few things. All supplies came from HL. I suggest finding a frame that has some space between the back and the glass (the N is about a quarter in. thick). I just bought some burlap, little metal brackets, and stamps. The original project suggested cutting monogram/letter out of old book pages. I didn't have an old book, and holy crap that takes way too much time for me, and would most likely look like a drunken toddler did it. In case you're wondering, the numbers represent our anniversary (June 7th, 2008). I've been looking for a fun way to display our unique anniversary, and this was just the ticket. In a perfect world, I would love to make an S and C with their birthday displayed...someday.

Ok, so I would hardly call this a project, considering my nephew does more difficult projects than this at mother's day out. I had this square shaped small vase sitting in a closet, dumped some coffee beans in it, then placed my abundance of make up brushes (and tweezers) in it. Thanks again, pinterest. My bathroom (and bedroom) also smell like coffee. And who doesn't love the smell of coffee 24/7? The original picture had like 47 brushes in it. Is it bad that I only have 3? 

First, apologies that this is really fuzzy. It must be my first model ever of the iPhone quality picture. Second, remember before when I told you that picture thing deserved a gold medal? I lied. This one might deserve a platinum medal, if they existed (hot glue gun + 45 minutes). This was a serious undertaking. I saw this a year or so ago on a blog. Wine bottle (empty of course. In fact, you may want to drink one yourself before said project) + a roll of jute found in check out aisle of Hobby Lobby (on a side note, I thought it was weird it was on the check out aisle. Do people really think "Oh yeah, I need some gum, and a little portable tape measure, and dang! I almost forgot, a roll of jute!")? But the great thing about this project is that, in spite of the time requirement, it's a mindless activity. And I don't know about you, but I need some mindless activities in my life. It would be a great thing to combine with another mindless activity, like watching The Bachelorette. I digress. So in the original example, the girl also did this to a larger wine bottle, and a smaller bottle (beer, soda, etc.) So basically, you need to be a moderate alcoholic to complete the full project. She displayed all 3 on a bookshelf, I think. So far I've only been able to muster one. But perhaps when we redecorate our fireplace mantle in a few weeks, I'll have the motivation to both drink a large bottle of wine and beer, and complete the final 2 pieces. Not that I need much motivation to drink wine. And as for the step-by-step instructions, squirt a line of hot glue. Wrap jute. Repeat. See? Mindless. Also make sure you push up the jute to make it as flush with the previous wrap as possible. And, 45 minutes later, you have...a wine bottle wrapped in jute! Aren't you proud of yourself?

So there you have it. A few activities to do if you spend 3/4 of your day inside your house like me. ;)

xoxo 

Sophie Shares

We try our best to teach our girls to share with each other. They still aren't crazy about sharing their toys, but Sophie is a super star sharer with her BFF, Teddy.

xoxo

Blog Format Question

Ok, I'm seriously so stupid when it comes to formatting my blog. I don't want anything fancy, and I like the background I have now, but I know at one point that I was able to fiddle around with the font color/type/size of my blog title. I have no idea how to do that anymore. If anyone out there knows how to help me, please leave a comment telling me how to do so. Thanks in advance. :)

Easy, Quick Recipes

If you're like me, you are sick of cooking the same things over and over. I've made all of the easy, good ones out of my BHG cookbook and all of my "collected" yummy ones. So now, thanks to pinterest (and if I wasn't watching my calories, this amazing website) I've got a few yummy ones. Since easy, yummy, quick recipes are always a big hit with anyone, I thought I'd share 3 I plan on making this week.

Tilapia with Almond Butter
Ok, this one is an oldie but a goodie out of the ol' BHG cookbook. It takes 20 min. or less to make and is one of Kyle's faves (ie. pickiest eater alive).

2-4 Tilapia filets
1/4 C. sliced almonds (I like to get the roasted sliced ones)
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 T. flour
salt and pepper

Sprinkle tilapia with salt, pepper, and flour on each side. Put in skillet over hot oil (cook on med/high heat). Cook the first side for 5-6 min, flip and cook an additional 3-4 min. Take out filets and melt butter in skillet. Once the butter is almost melted, add almonds and cook for 30-60 seconds. Pour over the top of filets.
**To go a little lower cal, sometimes I only put 1 T. of butter in with the almonds

It's delicious. I usually serve with sauteed green beans or asparagus.

Crockpot Lemon Chicken

Do you all need to see pictures of food before you cook it like I do? 

4 Chicken breasts or tenders

3-4 T. butter

1 package italian seasonings dressing mix

Juice of 2 lemons

Put butter in bottom of crockpot. Cook on high 4-5 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. When done, shred chicken and top with the juice mixture. 

I'll be making this tomorrow. I heart 4 ingredient crockpot recipes.

Ground Beef Mac and Cheese Casserole

Ok, I don't know why I'm making this. I'm trying to be healthy. I was under pressure prior to leaving for the grocery store and succumbed to this at the last minute. It had me at "Mac and Cheese."

1 boxed macaroni and cheese, reserve cheese packet
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup of chopped green or red bell pepper,
or use a combination of both
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1/2 tablespoon of chili powder, or to taste
   (can omit if using Rotel)
1 teaspoon of seasoning salt (like Lawry's)
1 (14.5 ounce) can regular diced tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Shredded pepper jack, cheddar cheese or your favorite cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil for the macaroni noodles, adding a large pinch of kosher salt. Boil according to package directions, drain and set aside. Reserve the powdered cheese sauce package - you will be stirring that in later.

In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium heat, add onion, green and red pepper and sauté until tender. Toss in garlic and sauté just a bit longer, but to avoid bitterness, do not scorch. Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up as you go. Drain off any fat from meat mixture if necessary and then return it to the pan. Stir in chili powder and seasoned salt.

Add the cheese packet and diced tomatoes to the meat mixture, stir until mixed thoroughly, taste and adjust seasonings as needed; add the pasta. Spray a 9 x 9 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and pour meat and pasta mixture in. Sprinkle the top lightly with just enough cheese to add a bit of flavor if desired, and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Variation:  Substitute one (10 ounce) can of Rotel tomatoes, undrained plus 1 small can (8 ounce) tomato sauce for the can of diced tomatoes.

Happy cooking! 

Infertility Encouragement

About a year ago I came across this darling blog while searching for some home decorating ideas. Since then, I have followed it pretty regularly. Recently she decided to share her and her husband's journey to become pregnant. I had no idea that she, too, had a bit of a struggle with infertility. She now has a darling little boy (that she makes all sorts of adorable stuff for)! Since I love infertility journeys with happy endings, I would love to share with you (with her permission) her journey. I think she is such an inspiring example of how to weather the ups and downs of fertility treatments. I also particularly admire her faith-filled approach to it. I related to this on so many levels, and I hope it will be continued encouragement to any women struggling with this. She did a 3 part series discussing their journey (linked below).

Our Journey to Parenthood: Part one
Our Journey to Parenthood: Part two
Our Journey to Parenthood: Part three

Not-so-Independence Day

Well, I hope all of you had a wonderfully happy 4th! In spite of having to stick to our feeding every 3 hours/multiple naps a day schedule (see blog post title), we had a pretty great long weekend. We went swimming 2 days in a row (thank goodness my girls love the water), had a few cookouts, slept in, went on a few family outings, and started (but were unable to finish) some 4th of July festivities this evening (I'm not naming any names, but Campbell Jane, you know who you are...) Aaah parenthood. Our normal 4th of July tradition of staying up late, having a grand time with friends, and shooting off fireworks at 10:00 at night did not happen this year. And now I sit here blogging at 9:30, while listening to all the fireworks go off from a distance. We are optimistically hoping next year our girls will realize how fun it is to eat hot dogs and ice cream and stay up past their bedtime to celebrate our nation's independence. Fingers crossed. In the meantime, here are a few pics of our weekend. Oh, and in case anyone cares, I did make the raspberry butter, pioneer woman french toast (see below). After having dreams about it the other night, I decided to grab the ingredients yesterday at the store. Boy, was I not sorry. Kyle said it was better than pancakes (this is a very bold statement on his part). I highly suggest this one.

They look SO big here! Crazy to think they used to sleep in a pack and play together, and now they can't even fit in one crib together. :(

baby in a swimsuit+sun hat+sunglasses=mom taking 1,000 pictures 

make that 2,000 pictures since there are two of them :)

Bubba and Sophie splashing around

Daddy and CJ. Is it just me, or is she posing?

Such an ornery little girl

Wouldn't be a day at the pool without snacks

Sophie=the snack queen

Fun pool day at the Maxwells!

Sophie looking up, Campbell looking down

Campbell looking up, Sophie looking down 

I can't see a thing, but I look pretty cute.

Patriotic Princesses

Here's hoping next year our girls increased "independence" makes for a more exciting holiday! :)

xoxo