Play Date with Caroline and Mary-Margaret

My friend Melissa came in town last week and we got our kiddos together for a play date. Reed was taking a late nap that day so it was just the 3 girls;) I finally got to meet her newest addition Caroline Ann.....such a sweetie pie!

Anna Grace checking out her new friend.....Caroline;)



Sweet Caroline....love her little sweater;)

Play time;)

Isn't Mary-Margaret a little diva??? Love her boots;) I could not get her to look at the camera though.

Melissa and I had a nice visit, but can never seem to get everything in that we want to say.......so we decided to get a sitter later in the week and go to dinner! We went to one of our favs....."Pesto Cafe" and it did not disappoint;) We had a fabulous time!

Gotta love.....Nana and Pops

My parents are so helpful when they come to visit. It can be very challenging taking care of 2 kiddos 21 months apart, but my parents always seem to come up just in the nick of time:) I guess they sense when I need a break!!!

My dad is probably one of the most patient men I have EVER known. He can manage my kiddos so well.....it almost makes it unfair that it works so well for him! ha....He just has a gentle, laid back nature and kids need that for the most part. I tend to get all keyed up about the small stuff when ultimately......it really does not matter!

Reed hiding under the covers while Pops reads to Anna Grace

Nana and Anna Grace......she is loving her animal cracker;)

Anna Grace LOVES books! She is very still and content while we read to her.

Pops read her Toy Story....one of Reed's books.......she loved it and especially turning the pages;)

Melt. My. Heart.

Sooooo Sweet:)

Some last minute lovin with Nana.....I will have to admit.....when it is time to say our good bye's to Nana and Pops.....I get so sad:( I so wished my parents lived here, but they don't so I have to come to grips with that. Reed cries just about every time they leave which makes momma cry too. We get so sad...... but we find something to make us happy. We love you Nana and Pops and look forward to seeing you soon!!!

9 month check up

Anna Grace had her 9 month check up about 2 weeks ago. We got to see our fav doctor ever.....Dr. Simmons! He makes our drive to Lowell so worth it!!! He always takes lots of time with us and makes us feel Oh so special!!:)

She had an animal cracker in her mouth....

and lovin' it!!!

LOVE this chubby face....

and her precious little smile;)

Stats:

Head: 43.50 cm- 70th percentile

Height: 64.70 cm- 25th percentile

Wt: 17 lbs 13 oz - 60th percentile

She is my happy girl and has the sweetest disposition about her. Even people who meet her for the first time in the grocery store make comments to me like.....she just seems to be a very content little baby! They are exactly right too.....she really is!:)

She has 8 teeth......4 on top and 4 on bottom

She likes baby food okay but really prefers table food more!

She eats some of the lunches at daycare. The girls always text me each day before lunch to check with me about the menu. I am about to highlight the foods she can eat for now....that way it will make it easier for them at daycare;)

They tell me she LOVES her snacks....animal crakers, graham crackers, ritz crackers....IMAGINE that! She is her mother's child;)

She has always been a really easy going baby until bedtime where she would just fight it so bad. Well, Cody and I have been trying to break her out of this and we have come so far! As much as I would love to snuggle and rock her sound asleep.....she would prefer to do it herself!

So now, we always do her bedtime routine after she eats dinner each night. She knows after her bath.....she gets to nurse and bedtime is right around the corner. For about the past 2-3 weeks, either Cody or myself will just rock for a few minutes and lay her in bed. She may cry out a few seconds or not at all. Usually on daycare nights, she is exhausted. Sometimes, if she stays up too late or past her bedtime.....she fights her sleep more i have noticed so we try real hard to be consistent and stay on schedule if we can. It makes her more happier and our life much easier too! Her bedtime is anywhere from 7:45-8:15. She sleeps all night for the most part and wakes up around 7. She has been a great sleeper from the beginning.....thank goodness!

She wears Size 3 diapers and wears anywhere from 6-9 month clothes. She has some 12 month outfits as well. She has short legs which make it hard to find pants that are not too long. We sometimes just have to roll her pants up so they don't get in the way of her crawling and pulling up. Leggings seem to work best for her which I love anyway;)

She is crawling super fast everywhere and walking around our ottomon.....pulling up from sitting to standing and easing her way back to a sitting position with no problem. She even walks well behind this push toy of Reed's! It probably won't be long til she is WALKING......oh my!!!

Here she is sitting in big brother's chair like a big girl!;)

Our little red head;)

My new LOVE!!!

is "THE PIONEER WOMAN!!!"



The other night, I wanted to try a new recipe from "The Pioneer Woman"..... I have heard she does not make a bad dish....which so far is very true!!! I decided to google some of her "favorite recipes" Here is what I decided to try......Spinach Mushroom Quesadillas!!! The random thing is......that I am really not a huge fan of mushrooms, but my hubby is, so........I thought I would give this one a try....... I do however, LOVE spinach and goat cheese and the combo of both sounded DELISH!!!

They were YUMMY to say the least and VERY EASY to make! Of course, last minute I had my hubby grab a couple of items from the store that I did not have. He......of course, texted me that he could not find fontina cheese SO I told him just to get Monterey Jack and we would "wing it!!!" He brought home "MEXICAN shredded cheese".....go figure??? which contained several kinds of cheeses......I had already prepared the mushrooms and spinach so it just had to work!!! lol! It was DELICIOUS!!!

Cody is the absolute easiest person to cook for.....he NEVER complains whether I bring home CHICK FILET, make chicken salad sandwiches, throw together a spinach salad with a rotisseri chicken on top with a few of our favorite toppings, or make him a bowl of cereal......and I am NOT Kidding! He eats it and never says a word. I know this is not very fair to him who works extremely hard for our family!! He totally deserves better!!! After having kids, I will have to admit my cooking has really gone out the window! I have had many moments though, when I really want to get that "GROOVE" back!!! He loves it when I try something new!

I think he was impressed to say the least!:) He LOVED it!

I am excited to try more of her recipes. She is also very easy to follow with her step by step instructions with a picture to go with each step......my kind of girl;)

P.S. I used my panini maker for the first time and LOVED IT! Sorry mom....I know I have had it for almost a year now. lol!

Presley's 1st Birthday Party!!!