Breakfast is ready!

At the beginning of the year I set a goal to make breakfast for my family more often. I have been doing good or great in my opinion. It has been a process but I am now making a hot breakfast of some sort for the kids almost every morning. Trey doesn't get to partake yet because I haven't been waking up that early due to our newborn. Now that Rebekah is sleeping consistently, about 8 hours at night, I plan to start waking up and making the meal earlier so that Trey can eat with us. I thought that I would share some photos of some of the things that i have been making.



Apple cinnamon pancakes


Chocolate Chip pancakes




Homemade whole wheat buttermilk biscuits with homemade cream gravy. I was very excited that they gravy turned out yummy, I have tried in the past and failed desperately! Biscuits and gravy is one of my favorite breakfast treats. Even though it is not something that we will eat often, it is nice to know I can pull it off for a special occasion.


I also like to keep several batches of "breakfast bread", it is easier than muffins for me, in the freezer for an easy hot breakfast. I put it in the fridge the night before and then warm it in the oven before serving.


Here is a list of some other things that i make that I have not taken pictures of:

Kolaches
Banana waffles
Banana bread
Cinnamon Apple bread
Chocolate Apple bread
Strawberry Oat bread

Most of my recipes are adapted from allrecipes.com. Don't worry they are not all unhealthy I use whole wheat flour and Oats for extra fiber. I also hope to start using Agave nectar in place of sugar and flax seed for even extra fiber in the near future. And of course we use real Maple syrup when needed not the high fructose corn syrup stuff. No prepacked or frozen breakfast around here. My goal is hot and healthy whole foods. I will try and post some more of my yummy breakfast creations soon.

BIG brother

Samuel took on his roll as big brother for the first time the other day. He pulled his chair right up next to Rebekah as she was sitting in her bouncer. And by right next to I mean they had to be touching. Here are some shots of him "helping her"





We took the side off Samuel's crib the other night.


Here he is asleep in his "big boy bed".



And this is how I found him the next morning during breakfast. He stayed up until about 11:30pm and got out of bed at around 5am


He also asked to hold Rebekah for the first time yesterday. Here are some pics of him holding his little sister.
So precious!
picture perfect

pucker up Rebekah


I think he has fallen in love like the rest of us.

Rebekah May Update

We took Rebekah to her one month check up on Monday, she was actually 5 weeks already and will be 6 weeks this Friday. She is doing fantastic! She was a little over 8 lbs when we left the hospital after our 10 day stay. She weighed a little over 10 lbs at her check up. That means she gained 2 pounds in 2 weeks. WOW, is that normal?! You would think I would know, this being my fourth and all, but I have no idea. It seems like a lot to me. She is eating well :) loves mommy's milk!
She is starting to fill out. She has that chub on her arms , you know the kind that makes her look like she has huge biceps, hehe.

She is also sleeping GREAT. She slept through the night last night. I put her down at about 9pm and she slept until 6:30am. I was so shocked I did go check on her once to make sure she was okay and she was still sound asleep making that sweet deep breathing sound. After I stared for a minute I tip toed out quickly and quietly.

I do have to admit it was good to see her sweet face at 6:30 am. We will have to wait and see how tonight goes. I am off to bed now to get some sleep while I can.

Fear rushes over me

Hannah has been acting a little "off" today. She had no appetite and commented that her tummy hurt several times. I thought she was just constipated. After nap her checks seemed red and she was very lethargic. She just laid in her bed, in the kids bedroom, while Samuel and Abigail played during what we call "room time". I finally had her come and rest in her Daddy's recliner and then decided I would take her temperature. Long story a little shorter. Hannah is running a fever 102. degrees.

As I walked back into the living room, after taking Hannah's temp and giving her Tylenol, my eyes moved toward Rebekah in the bouncer. Fear immediately rushed over me. I could feel the anxiety starting to build. Rebekah is still not 6 weeks old. If she starts running fever we will be headed back in the ER again. Just the thought of going through that whole ordeal again, her little body being poked and prodded all over again and more days and nights in the hospital, sent me over the edge. Fighting back tears I immediately asked Trey to pray and intercede because my fear was getting the best of me. I started repeating "Be anxious for nothing but in prayer and supplication make your requests know unto the LORD." ..."Be anxious for nothing..."

So, if you are reading this and you pray to the one true God, My Father in Heaven, Please lift up our Sugar Plum Rebekah. Please pray that she will remain fever free. Also, please pray for our little Pumpkin Hannah, that she will get over this bug quickly and not pass her germs to the rest of us.

Trusting in the LORD and hoping for a smooth night.

Back in the Mizunos again

I decided to lace up my running shoes again yesterday. I have not run since my pregnancy with Rebekah began. Oh, it was not pretty people!

A few things have changed:

1. I feel like a fat dairy cow.
2. It is no longer just me running. I now run with what feels like 2 gallons of milk.
3. I feel body parts that were never meant to shake, bouncing with each step I take. Don't get me wrong I was not fitness model when I stopped running, but I did work really hard and may have just been in the best shape of my life. Oh, for the love of bouncing body parts!

Fewer things remain the same:

1. It is GREAT me time and much needed stress relief.
2. The endorphin rush at the end of the work out still feels just as nice.

So, with all this said I do this because I refuse to diet for the rest of my life and I really like to eat, I love chocolate and wine, and go figure -I really do enjoy it. So with hope for the future and for my really sore thighs, I am pounding the pavement and path again.

Catch up

We have had a busy month.

At a 8 days old, On Saturday, May 22 Rebekah started running 101.7 fever. Thankfully my mom had arrived a few hours before, Trey was out running some errands. So, long story short I packed her up turned my flashers on and drove as fast as I could to Huntsville to get her to the ER. They took her back almost immediately and then started running tests. We were admitted in the wee hours of the morning that next day. Thankfully her fever finally broke on Sunday night and she was diagnosed with a Urinary Tract infection, something that is very treatable. But bad news we had to stay for 10 days until she finished the round of IV antibiotics. Since she was considered a "dirty" baby because of the infection it is hospital policy that she not go in nursery, Huntsville doesn't have a NICU, which meant someone had to be there with her at all times. Which meant except for 2 short breaks I was in the hospital for 10 days too. Bright side Rebekah and I got to spend a lot of quality time together and I got LOTS of rest. Needless to say Life at home was a little crazy: Family separated, Mama not at home, Big sisters missing and confused about where their little sister was, and Grandma's in and out helping. Thankfully Trey was able to stay home from work so there was so stability. With much prayer and some great nurses care we made it home and Rebekah is thriving.

On May 27th, Rebekah and I were still in the hospital, our adorable boy turned 2 years old. So with much sadness we decided to wait to celebrate his birthday until we were all together again. This was really hard for me, Birthdays are a BIG deal at out house, I love making everyone feel extra special on their "special day" We finally celebrated the other day. Here are some pictures.

I'm back

I don't even know if anyone out there, beside my mom occasionally, reads this blog or cares, but... I AM BACK. We have had a pretty crazy month, I have a lot to catch you up on. I have struggled to decide if I really have time to continue writing. But I really don't do that much other stuff. I mean like hobbies and such. And the way I figure it...

You must be a writer if.....

You write in your head.

And I think my life is a pretty good story. So, really this is for me. I get to write about the things and people that I LOVE. And if no one else ever reads it well they are just missing out :)