What to do, what to do!

The little human's first Christmas was a success. And by success I mean he got through the busy day without any major meltdowns or freak outs. The teething has been kind of ridiculous lately so he was a little fussy and tired. Naturally for a 1st Christmas he had no clue what was going on, didn't care about gifts, played with the tree and cat more than the wrapping paper and was overwhelmed by all the people and family togetherness. Mamma's little introvert....wonder where he gets that from!

The Conner household is still operating on uno vehicle. Kind of inconvenient but totally doable. At least it's not the middle of the week when we both are working. It's not like the pirate and I have any extra important play dates to attend to!

So what the heck do we do now? Whelp, I got Noah what every baby needs for Christmas. A bunch of new socks of course. Only one issue, slippery. You know what that means! ARTS AND FREAKING CRAFTS TIME BABY! Its a shame this didn't take me longer to do ha ha.

Step a one: Flatten sock
Step a two: Use your super awesome art skills to do designs with puffy paint
Step a three: Let dry over night (away from the silly cat who may or may not want to play/eat the puffy painted socks)
Step a four: Put them on your small human
Step a five: Boom your welcome

Well that took about 9 minutes and 26 seconds so I decided to make some healthy mini banana muffins for the nugget. I'm horrible at following a recipe I always change things up and then never write down what I ended up doing or changing. Which kind of makes things difficult when you want to make more! I should probably invest in a recipe book. The old fashion kind where you can write in it!

Warning this is what happens when I cook/bake and don't follow a specific recipe. Things are pretty much just thrown together! Sorry!

• Mash 2 ripe bananas together in a bowl
• Add 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of regular sugar
• Add a cup of applesauce?? (I didn't measure it out of course)
• In a separate bowl add about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and use your creativity! (I definitely didn't measure any of this out ha ha) I added cinnamon, handful of oats, sprinkle of flax seed, pinch of salt, a dash of coconut flakes and a partridge in a pear tree
• Mix both dry and wet ingredients together and add more flour if it seems too runny/ add more applesauce if too thick!
• Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes
• Baked goodness, husband and baby approved

These are really good because they are so moist! Very easy for a small human to gobble up.

And that's all I've got for today.

-Over and Out

Stranded

So the car broke down. Matt was driving home when all of the sudden the car slowly came to a halt. Turns on and off but just doesn't go any where. Pretty much the clutch is out and it's going to be around a grand to fix. Oh joy. You know I was thinking that it was probably about time for something else to break down. Last week the dryer reached the end of her existence. Good old gal she couldn't bare to do another load. She did well, she lived, she dried and then she died. Why is it that appliances don't last like they used to? It's a conspiracy I tell you!

At least the car broke down Wednesday night. I don't work Thursday or Fridays and this weekend I also had off. So I remained stuck, trapped, stranded at the house with the pirate.

I had nothing pressing I needed to do. No errands to run or places to go but not having the freedom to do so is awful! You think to yourself... What if? What if I needed to go to the grocery store to get delicious ingredients to make some sort of 5 tier cake master piece? Or what if I had an intense craving for a peppermint mocha and I needed to go to the coffee shop? Or what if I sliced open my finger yet again using my awesome chef skills and needed a stitch or two!? Good thing my in laws live 6 miles away! Dramatization over.

We went to the very last holidazzle parade Saturday! So sad it has ended, I've been going since I was little! What the heck is holidazzle you ask? Only the greatest winter parade there is! It's in downtown Minneapolis at night on the weekends. The floats and all the people in the parade are covered in lights.What a fun slightly dorky thing to do in the cold of winter. We need to get out and inhale some fresh air anyway, might as well watch a lighted winter parade! It wasn't too terribly cold and my little human did fabulous! He was going off only 1 nap and did great at a late dinner after the parade. He was such a delirious little ham! Goofy and giggly, better than a total hot mess I suppose!

What else is there to do when everyone starts to get stir crazy!? Get outside and lick some snow flakes! I guess we spent a decent amount of time outside in the last week. Shoveling, playing in the snow, sledding, crying in the snow, cursing the snow, day dreaming of warmth and tropical climates. You know, the typical winter thing.

My little shovel helper!

Sledding with dad! Note his horizontal position ha ha.

Happy December! T-minus 2 days till Christmas! Can you even believe it? Noah's 1st Christmas yay!

-Over and Out

Christmas Time Is Here!

"Its the most wonderful tiiiiiiime of the yeeeeaar!!!" Fa la la laaaaa! I mean, minus the freezing acrtic blast. Driving on a sheet of ice and my hands being so dry I do believe they will crack completely in half. Oh! and needing to start your vehicle 15 minutes before you leave, planning your day so you make the least amount of stops humanly possible and wearing so many layers you look like a gigantic marshmellow puff.

This winter has been cruel to us so far! It got so cold so fast this is like January/February weather not December! Oh well, what do you do? I'm currently working on my extra fat layer to keep warm. Hot chocolate made with whole milk and pasta at 3 pm? Perfection. 

So us Minnesotan's do what we do best. Keep talking about the weather, bake monsterous amounts of things, and dream of wonderful warmth and sunshine! The winter season is exactly why I do not complain about summer like the other 88% of us do. So many midwesterners hate hot humid weather but I say BRING IT ON! It's so short lived I say "shut your yap and soak it up or stay in your air conditioning" So there! Just saying I would not mind 90 degrees and sticky right now.

Last week we had a Christmas cookie exchange aaaand it was pretty much the best day of the month. All kinds of cookies. Cookies left and cookies right. I made molasses cookies dipped in white chocolate and peppermint. It was a joyful spectacle, and yes my husband and I have nearly eaten them all. Oops. Side note the pirate is also a fan of cookies, each and every single one he enjoyed. How could he not? He is my child afterall.

1. Make molasses cookies
2. Crush candy canes into itty bitty pieces
3. Melt white chocolate chips 
4. Dip cooled off cookie in white chocolate the sprinkle with peppermint
5. Boom 

And what do you do when your cooped up inside all day? Baby projects duh!!! My mother in law made the hand print Christmas tree and today Noah and I did the raindeer footprint. 12 more days until Christmas I better think of more projects!

-Over and Out!

Snowfall

Oh joy! First big snow fall of the season! Don't get me wrong I really do love snow. Its gorgeous, sparkly and festive, wouldn't feel like December without it. But I can't say that I enjoy driving in it. Or should I say commuting in it.  Took me 45 minutes to get to work this morning and an hour and 15 minutes to get home in the evening. AND IT SUCKED.

It isn't the snow that's the issue but the block of ice your driving on beneath the snow. That's when things start to get interesting. You slightly break and you slide all over. Go over 30 MPH on a turn aaaaaaand slide all over. Oh the wonders of midwestern driving.

Side note to all of this winter wonder land goodness...........I need to get the pirate snow pants!!! I can't wait to toss him into a snow bank and watch his face as he eats his first fist full of fluffy snow! I will literally snowshoe to the nearest target tomorrow to get them. Yes I'm being ridiculous. No I don't care. And the likely hood of me actually going to target in the negative death degree of weather is 99% probable. I mean its target, it sucks you in. You enter for deodorant and exit $80 poorer. I blame subliminal messaging. And one's ability to be severely side tracked. Target. Why must you be so cruel!? moving on.........

This is the tale of my drive home from work. I leave early per the Doctor's wife's request........I never leave early. EVER. But it was dead's ville, with so many patients canceling due to the weather I didn't mind not hesitating after she suggested it. I go out to my jeep which is pretty much buried in snow after sitting there for the last 9.5 hours and attempt to clear it off. A taxi cab gets stuck in the cul de sac I'm parked in and is waving people to go around. This is my hint the conditions are AWESOME! Then my windshield wiper snaps off. Like the whole damn thing just disintegrated in my hand. Marvelous! I fiddle around for 7 minutes trying to see if I can fix it when i finally proclaim "SCREW THIS! I NEED TO GET HOME BEFORE ITS COMPLETELY DARK OUT!" There may have been other choice words used.

It's almost comical, the fact that its still snowing, I can barely see, I'm minus my drivers side windshield wiper, It's getting dark and I have an hour or more drive home. People are in the ditch, and I'm 4 minutes into my endeavor when I see a car facing on coming traffic (clearly not a Minnesota native).....

Really people? Just take your time! I was half blind and I made it safely home. End of story. Its not the snow but the ice. Take your time. Don't be dumb. Stop slamming on your breaks. And do not over correct with your steering! BOOM. Gotta love winter driving! It's like an entire category of its own. And it's currently 10:38 and my husband just walked in the door from work. Rough day of driving out there people! YEESH.

-Over and Out

Big ugly headache monster

Up early this morning because I can't lay down a minute longer. Story of my life. Out of the numerous wonderful qualities i inherited from my Pa my least favorite is his headaches. And I mean HEADACHES. Not the annoying irritating kind that slightly inconveniences life, but the big ugly kind. The cant sleep, feel dizzy, laying down hurts, sitting up hurts, lights hurt, life hurts kind of headaches.

And then if things really start to get fun you get a migraine thrown in the mix! If you don't know if you have ever had a migraine than trust me you have NOT had a migraine. Those bad boys literally stop your life. It drives me insane when people think a bad headache is a migraine! I'm sorry but until you have a real one you can't possibly get it. The migraine monster makes you feel like your going to die.

I get the floating lights, my vision goes completely white and I can't see for a good 30 seconds. That's my big obnoxious obvious clue.... run to get Excedrin migraine stat! That is the one and only thing that helps me at all. But there is such a small time frame for it to actually work. If I don't catch it literally within a few minutes then I'm pretty much doomed. Done for. Toast. Your brain feels like its going to explode. The light sensitivity goes through the roof and I can barely even open my eyes. You can't seem to function or even really formulate sentences. Aaaaaand the nausea, that constant feeling like your going to toss your cookies at any given moment. The only cure at that point is a dark room and some attempt at sleep. It's just awesome! I love it so stinkin much! (insert snarky attitude and sarcastic voice)

Growing up I always had headaches, not awful ones, just the irritating kind. It wasn't until I was in high school and got into a car accident that things took a whole new turn. When a vehicle ( idiot woman who to this day if I found I would beat her down and make her feel pain! - ok no i wouldn't but still!) ran a red light going at least 55 miles per hour and crashed into my best friend and I.  I had no air bag so you can imagine what that whiplash was like. Boom never been the same. I would rather have broken multiple bones then deal with the aftermath I did.

The rest of highschool sucked I couldn't do any of my sports without getting horrible headaches. I didn't sleep well. Was miserable 24/7 and I mean every second of everyday I never got any relief from the pain. Went to physical therapists, neurologists, chiropractors and all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't put Erin back together again. I reached a point were I slowly started giving up on everything.

Then God happened. I remember sitting with my Pa having a heart to heart, him giving me the don't give up, things will get better talk. That night I was laying down trying to sleep feeling hopeless and depressed. I was slowly and steadly loosing myself and I knew it was happening and it was not good. I cried my heart out and prayed to God that I couldn't handle it anymore. I couldn't possibly live life like this any longer and if he didn't help me I would have nothing to turn to, nothing to give me any hope at all. I cried my eyes out until I fell asleep.

The next day I woke up i realized for the first time in 10 months I did not have a horrible constant pain. And that my friends is not by coincidence. That's when my relationship with God started. How could it not? And ever since then I haven't been plagued by the constant nagging all day everyday pain. But it definitely still comes and goes whenever it feels like it! This journey has not been easy but I have so much to be thankful and hopeful for. I know my God will never put me through that constant pain again, He has made a promise to me and has been good for it.

So right now I am going to sip some more coffee. Deal with this annoying headache/neck pain by hanging out with my beautiful little family. And praise God that things are not as bad as they once were.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

Romans 5: 3-5 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

-Over and out

Thanksgiving week what!?

I just worked 30 hours in 3 days and now I get to have thanksgiving at my house. Yay I'm exhausted and I want to curl In a ball and sleep forever! Although, it really isn't as bad as I initially thought. With my mother in law making the turkey and other people bringing this and that I am definitely sleeping a little better tonight! 

Bathrooms cleaned. Check. Kitchen cleaned. Check. Groceries bought check.  Signature cocktail ready. Check. I will say this..... If the food isn't up to par (which it will be) at least there is alcohol to numb the taste buds!!!!!! And this year I can enjoy it since I'm not with child! Caramel apple hot toddy here I come! Pictures to be inserted later :)

Side note this is our thanksgiving project we made a few weeks ago.....yes it is another project made out of the pirates butt print. And no it won't be the last! 

Yet another side note, Noah had his 9 month appointment last week. Healthy long and strong boy! Fun fact he was getting 4 teeth at one time! Such a trooper after these teeth come through our total will be 8 chompers!

Alright, my bed is calling my name and I am willingly getting sucked into its warm inviting comfyness. If the teething monster doesn't sleep tonight i have a feeling it will be Matt's turn to deal with him!!! Goodnight world!

-Over and out

Gorgeous movember day!

One of those mornings where you drink some coffee. It sits and gets cold. Run around chasing a small human. Reheat coffee. Feed small human. Coffee gets cold again. Put small human down for a nap. Reheat coffee. Clean up tornado disaster left by small human. Cold coffee. Reheat it.  And repeat, over and over and over again. At that point one would assume said person should just be done with coffee and switch to water. Nope, that would be much too clever of an idea.

Can i just say this..... I AM LOVING THIS WEATHER!!!!!!! I love that we can go outside and go on long walks without bundling up like a stinkin Eskimo. I know its a fluke and its just temporary but hey I will happily take it with a gigantic smile. Yesterday the pirate and I went on a 4.5 mile walk with Matt's cousin and her little nugget. For a Minnesotan in mid November this is like miracle weather. And I wouldn't be a mid westerner if I didn't talk about the weather!

En light of Movember I give you this. Baby stache. Enough said.

In other unrelated news I cut 6 inches of hair off of my head! What? Kind of a big deal since my hair is always long. Sometimes you just need a change. You just need to do something different with your life especially after having a baby. When your pregnant you feel like a Greek goddess with bouncy full hair that fits perfectly into place, pretty much like a cheesy shampoo commercial.

 Then baby comes and all your hair starts falling out. You panic. Cry. Go to the store to get Biotin. Vitamin up your diet. Then it slowly gets better but still is not quit the same. Hence the mom cut. Until your a mom you don't really understand why everyone has a baby and then cuts their hair shorter. Then it happens to you,  you look in the mirror at your terrible, nasty, stringy, dingy locks and go "Oh shit! I need a mom cut!" Boom mystery solved. Aaaaaaaaand my coffee is cold again! LAME SAUCE.

-Over and out

My baby is 9 months old today!

Wow I can't believe how fast nine months has raced by. It is literally insane to think that my baby is as old as my pregnancy was! When your pregnant you wait and wait for what seems like an eternity to meet the little face that will change your everything. And then they come. And your world is never the same. You forget about the uncomfortableness of the 3rd trimester. That foot wedged in your ribcage for weeks. And how horrid giving birth really is, and most of all the recovery. You look into that face for the very first time not knowing just how much overwhelming love you could possibly have for someone you just met.

Your a mom. Suddenly that word takes on a whole new meaning for you. Makes you look at your own mom with so much more appreciation and awe. Dang I hope i don't screw this up! Then its breast feeding and diapers and sleep or no sleep, swaddle no swaddle. Why is he so skinny? I thought babies were supposed to be chunky? Work? I can't go back to work! Eating enough? Eating too much!? When do I introduce cereal? Solids? Is he getting a tooth? Why is he so miserable? Then milestone after milestone, rolling over, laughing, sitting, standing, eating, teething, crawling. WHEN IS IT GOING TO SLOW DOWN!?

Then BOOM. 9 months old. Its unreal. And every parent says the same thing to you "Its goes by so fast....soon he will be going to school......appreciate every stage.....it never slows down" You can't begin to imagine it until you have your own and go through the experience yourself. But it really does go RIDICULOUSLY fast! Like warp speed fast. Makes me want to cry to think that soon enough he'll be walking, talking then asking for the keys to the car and wanting nothing to do with mom's embarrassing snuggles and kisses. slight chance i may be sitting here crying right now. Slight chance. ha ha.

Dang this whole parenting thing is a trip and I'm only 9 months in! Yeesh. So far I have loved it all. Most men will admit the newborn stage isn't really their favorite, definitely wasn't for Matt. They pretty much sleep, poop, and want boob. Hmmmm, are newborns really that different from a grown man? Seriously.

Ok, I'm through with being emotional now. Turning it off. Choking it down. Pushing it aside. I need chocolate. And coffee. Chocolate and coffee.....a mocha? Hmmmm..... I need an espresso machine! Then I can make delectable coffee treats ALL DAY LONG. But then I need one of those fancy whipped cream thingies so I can have top notch toppings. Whats a mocha without whipped cream? And chocolate shavings. Wow this really escalated quickly didn't it. Alright I need to regroup. My babies 9 months, its been awesome, yay, the end!

-Over and Out

Hallo weenie!!!

Oh Halloween! I personally enjoy it! Some people are against dressing their kids up and celebrating but I think it's what you make of it and how you choose the celebrate it. In my mind Halloween is all about trick or treating and fun and creative costumes. Aaaaaaand pumpkins..... Lots of pumpkins!

-pumpkin butt

I don't view it as satanic heavy stuff at all. Like I said its all what you choose to believe. Besides it's pretty much a made up holiday used to profit candy companies anyway, just like valentines day!

Mr. Noah was lucky enough to be two characters! We went to a Halloween party last weekend and went as a family of Paul Bunyans and babe the blue Ox! Made my husband be babe if course, it was the natural choice.

And Halloween day..... You guessed it, pirate. How could I not? Besides my friends mom gave him the costume... We HAD to use it! Aaaaaarrggg.

Fun fact... Last weeks no sleep and clingy crankiness wasn't for nothing!!!! 3rd tooth poked through and 4th is close behind... And it's an eye tooth? Weird! My mom said my eye teeth came in first when I was teething. I probably looked like a really amazing vampire baby. Whelp that's all I've got for now.

-Over and out

Oh for the love of sleep.

It appears that my little monster is teething again. Runny nose, drool bucket, cranky, and the best part.... NO SLEEP. Nothing better then waking up every 2 hours for the last 4 nights. You tend to take for granted what an amazing sleeper your little one is until there is no sleep at all!

So I remain in the ultimate zombie mode. ludicrous amounts of coffee, dozing off standing up, and the best part...straight up groggy goofy delirium! Oh boy oh boy I hope he pops out 4 teeth all at once! That would be awesome, out and done with.

Speaking of zombies I'm going off topic here, WALKING DEAD. The one show that Matt and I love and watch every week together. This season is starting off pretty good too! There is a ton of new characters which means...more gruesome zombie attacks and flesh eating goodness! Muahahaha!

While the pirate actually took a decent nap the other day i decided to A. take a small cat nap too. and B. Bake a cake of sugary gooey diliciousness! That's right people I finally got to make my layered caramel apple cake. And you can take my word for it, it was pretty ding dang delicious.

Now I normally would make my cake from scratch but knowing Noah has been such a needy disaster I bought a spiced cake mix to cut down on time. Don't judge me.

Cake!
-Box of spiced cake mix - follow prep instructions
-Bake half the batter in a round pan- let cool on cooling rack
-Bake other half and let cool
-Cut each cake in half with serrated knife
-Prepare caramel
-Spread a thin layer of caramel on each cake (while its more liquid vs hardened helps to moisten cake making it 12 times more delicious)
-Then apply frosting of choice... I have a secret cinnamon frosting recipe but any butter cream or cream cheese frosting will do
-Layer sliced apple pieces evenly over each cake
-Drizzle cooled and hardened caramel to your liking over the apple layer
-Stack cakes and frost the sides
-Drizzle caramel over the top of the cake
-Enjoy and beware of sugar overload

Homemade caramel
-1/2 cup half and half
-1 cup packed brown sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-4 tablespoons butter
-pinch of salt

-Mix the half and half, brown sugar, butter and salt in a sauce pan on medium to low heat.
-Cook for 5 minutes gently whisking until sugar desolves and mixture thickens slighlty
-Add vanilla and let cool

If you like apples, and caramel, and sugar, this is a win win situation for you. Make it. Devour it. And feel no remorse :)

Also...... Noah got dedicated last week in church!!!!! Something we have wanted to do for a long time but every Sunday they were doing them we were either out of town or busy. I was really sad because I wanted my parents to be there but this was the soonest we could commit to. I know they were there in spirit! And I had my aunt and uncle come in place so it all worked out and Noah was very loved, by family and friends who came!

We promise to do our best to teach him what it means to be a christian. Whatever he chooses in his life is his own choice but we vow to teach him of God's glory and goodness and we as parents submit him to the Lord, his will and his way.

1 Samuel 1:27-28
"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given to the Lord."

Matthew 19:14
"Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these"

Amen! Goodbye people and I hope to get some sleep. PLEASE DEAR GOD GIVE ME SOME SOLID SLEEP.

-Over and out

Apples!!!!

Hello my name is Erin, and I have a problem. It's been 14 hours since my last apple and I'm quickly going into apple withdrawal shock syndrome. Lack of apple disorder?Apple-less depression? Apple obsessive compulsive disorder! Boom! Winner.

Any who I love apples. I love to eat them, bake them and pick them. And if Noah really is my son then I'm pretty sure he loves his orchard visits and homemade applesauce too. If he isn't mine do i get a refund? Like if there were some sort of hospital mix up? Can I go back in and pick a new one? Naaah, hes just too damn adorable he has got to be mine ;)

We have been to all the major orchards in the area and usually Matt and I frequent apple jacks in Delano. But we found a new favorite called fall harvest. We have been a few times before and love it! The apple picking was great. But they have so much more there! Tons of animals to feed and pet, pumpkins, corn pit, wagon rides. And usually less crowded then apple jacks or Minnetonka apple orchard.

 http://www.fallharvestorchard.com/

Conner family fall fun day whoop whoop

Animal lover!!! So many fun farm animals to look at!

The pumpkin with his pumpkin 

Umm excuse me dad.... Why did you bury me in corn? I'm scared..... Right before he started crying ha ha.

Yay apples! I can't wait to bake an apple crisp soon. Or maybe apple cookies. Or possibly a caramel apple cake. Too many options I can't decide. Boo I don't want to go to work and it's rainy too... Perfect snuggle weather with my two favorite gentlemen! 

Lame, maybe if I drink enough coffee I'll be too jazzed up to care! Goodbye cozy Saturday morning household.... Momma's gotta go bring home some bacon! (Not literally because bacon is disgusting.... Said the worlds only bacon hater)

-Over and out

No one said it would be easy.....

Well, as they say... what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Shit happens. You live and you learn. It can't always be sunshine and roses. So on and so forth. Ya da ya da ya da.

I suppose this is all true, although a bit tough to swallow at times. Here again we find ourselves in a sticky situation. For the second time in a matter of months my husband gets laid off. (shady company in which i have not a single decent thing to mutter about). 

Oh yay just what I needed! Another trying time filled with financial struggles, stress, anxiousness and all that goes with it! - insert sarcastic voice and big hand gestures.

I'm pretty sure the only good thing to come out of 2013 is my wonderful beautiful son. Because we are seriously being tested this year. Good thing my faith in God and positive thinking out weighs all the awfulness and garbage life can throw our way!  Well....struggles 0 Conner family 2. So suck it world, bring it on because we've got this. My God is good and I can't be shaken.

Being a new mom on its own is a whole new mind blowing concept to tackle. Lets toss in working and being away from your baby 12 hours at a time, 2 lay offs, medical bills unpaid, my parents moving out of state, the IRS saying we owe from 2011 taxes ( incorrect we have the info to prove them wrong), and the fact I don't get medical benefits through my job. Struggling. I admit this last lay off put me in a major funk.  For a good few days i gave into it but I'm over it now. I'm done and moving on.

 I look at the big picture and see that I am so incredibly lucky. Through this time, my love for my husband and family never changes. We are 100% in this together, fighting, crying, praying together. Holding on to the hope of our future and knowing that this time we struggle with is so small and insignificant compared to the rest of our lives. Its a bump in the road. A story we will tell our kids of how hard it was in the beginning. And I know, in my heart that I wont be tested any more than what i can possibly handle.

Romans 8:24-25

"For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

Our break is coming, no matter what it looks like, I know it's out there. Might be completely different than we expected but that's the way life goes. And we will welcome the change!

What better way to forget the heavy then baby arts and crafts!!! With the weather being so rainy and nasty last week the pirate and I decided to do some early Halloween crafts. ( More like I decided and the pirate was forced against his will to go along with it :) 

Tadaaaa! pumpkin butt step one: dip baby butt in orange paint. Step two: sit baby butt on paper. Step three: quickly move to bathtime before he pees on you and everything else in site. 

Ghost/candy corn foot print: Paint foot. Step foot on paper. Bam. Its the little things in life that make me smile....can't tell I used to teach preschool at all can you?

I would have posted my gluten free pumpkin cookies i attempted to make but they SUCKED. Baking fail for sure, which i hardly ever fail when it comes to baking so my self esteem is a tad deflated. But I will perfect the recipe like a boss and post an epic baking win soon. I promise.

All in all...life is a challenge, a puzzle, a struggle. But how entirely boring would it be without a little bump now and then? 

-Goodnight! - E

A camping we will go!

Fresh air. Dirt. Sleeping outside. Bonfires.

Camping is undoubtedly the best thing there is about summer. Usually every year the hubster and I make our annual trek up to the North Shore, it's our favorite place in MN. We've rated our favorite hikes, state parks, and campsites. Its fun trying to stay in different places to find that secret hidden gem ;) Kind of camping snobs at this point ha ha! We only stay at the ones we know are awesome.

Last summer I was in my first trimester when we went to the BWCA in Ely and camped and canoed for a week. So incredibly thankful i didn't have morning sickness! We had some rough wind and waves we had to paddle our way back home in. That trip was amazing though I would love to do another one like that sometime.

But this year we had to do something a wee bit more local. Matt couldn't take time off from work so we decided to stay at Lake Maria state park 20 minutes north of our place. Knowing it would be a short 2 night trip we both agreed it just wasn't worth the drive past Duluth for the weekend with the two tooth wonder. The sweet thing about this park is that all the sites are backpacking sites meaning...... no neighbors! what what! I hate camping and seeing and hearing people right next to you. That is not enough wilderness for me. 

The down side is its a lot of work. Especially with a baby. Its a hike to haul your stuff in, get water, drop off your trash, grab some fire wood aaaaaand pretty much anything else you could think of needing its a good 1/2 a mile adventure at least, if not more. Oh well, whats roughing it if you have all life's luxuries right at your finger tips eh?

All in all the park was great, site was pretty, weather was.... tropical, way too steamy for being outside all day and night. I was bummed because we chose this weekend thinking it would be a little cooler. Oh well can't win em all! We rolled with the punches an stuck it out, more like sweated it out. Little pirate did really well though not so much the first night but he got the hang of it eventually. I think he was totally thrown off and confused "What the heck guys, why are we sleeping outside? Where's my fan and sound machine? Why doesn't that damn owl shut up? Who's idea was this? Why can't I have a warm bottle!? Where's my crib?" After that first night he was great, made sure he had a lot of water in a sippy cup, shade, and cool loose fitting clothing and cool water on his fuzzy little head.

 Even though we had to carry it all in we still ate scrumptious campfire cooked morsels. Night one: Tilapia, baby red potatoes, and chopped veggies in foil packets. Breakfast: COFFEE and eggs in a muffin tin! Easiest meal EVER. Crack egg into tin. Add salt and pepper. Put on grate over fire. Add cheese. BOOM destroy. And night two: campfire pasta with roasted veggies and bread. And what camping experience would it be without smore's? Made with dark chocolate, cinnamon graham crackers and peanut butter of course. Mmmmm peanut butter.

 

Over all the small human's first camping trip was a success. Would I recommend it in 90 degree weather? Nope! Sure wouldn't! But you can't really expect everything to be perfect now can you!? Of course the morning we left it was 10 degrees cooler and wonderful. Typical. Well at least it didn't rain the entire weekend... could have been worse!

Happy camping!
 -E

Cutting teeth is so much fun!

My poor baby finally has some teeth poking through! All his hard work has finally paid off. For months he's been teething, drooling, chewing, drooling, off and on cranky butt and drooling. Can't help but feel awful for the poor little guy but he's attacking it like a champ! 

Yesterday I used a frozen banana in a mesh teething feeder and he went crazy for it! Really loving the cold sensation on his gums. Later on it was ice cubes, cold wash cloths, my finger, and teething tablets that got us through the day. I'm not a huge fan of using Tylenol unless he has a fever/ cold symptoms or is a inconsolable hot mess. 

Loving these products!

This momma's medicine came in the form of a date night with the hubster and a stiff drink ;) Much needed we hardly ever get out, just the two of us. we went to Amore Victoria in uptown hit up happy hour and then ate some pizza for dinner. We really wanted to go paddle boarding but it was kind of windy so we opted out. Boom there you have it!

On a completely random note I am obsessed with chalk boards lately. It's such a fun way to change up quotes or cute little sayings. This is my current quote I wrote up and put in my kitchen

- E

Early bird...gets the worm

Mr. Noah gets up for a bottle at 5:37 a.m. on a Sunday and goes back to bed. This would be my one and only day to sleep in this week but of course my body wont let me. I Watch the minutes tick by on the clock as I lay in bed thinking about kitchen paint colors and baby arts and crafts. Then the gears switch to what I really need to clean and organize and man its going to be hot today! Maybe we should go to the beach. Oh but I have so much laundry to do, laundry.... do I have any detergent left? I should make a target run. No I should not make a target run. State fair! Maybe we should go this year. Naaah went last year. Forget it, I'm never going back to sleep. I want coffee. Oh ya Coffee sounds magical, yep i should definitely get up and make coffee.........

Boom! 6:23 and I'm as productive as can be! Consuming coffee. Painted toe nails. Made a sensory toy for the small human and I'm currently updating his milestone calendar. (I'm sensing a crash about mid morning) Gotta love a little alone time while the hubster and baby pirate snooze away.

 Its impossible to appreciate the value of time until you have a small human. SERIOUSLY. And my small human is fantastic! Good sleeper/eater. He isn't fussy or clingy. He can entertain himself for a little while at a time. But how is it that no matter what, you just cant seem to get anything done when they are awake!? I'm convinced its the cuteness conspiracy. They lure you in with that toothless grin and adorable baby babble. Its disgustingly addictive.

Any who these are my sensory bottles!

-clean empty water bottle 

-water

-food coloring

-baby oil (for lava lamp effect) 

-whatever you want inside! (glitter, beads, bouncy balls, confetti etc.)

-gorilla glue for glueing the tops on
 

 

We would make these when I worked in daycare centers! Great for toddlers too, they really liked the themed bottles!

Have a lovely day people! - E