Little Dude is...

• Not to be ridiculously cliche, but where is the time going?!?  5 months?!?
• This little guy is such a relaxed baby.  He's more than happy to sleep anywhere, anytime, and under any condition.
• Lately he's really been into grabbing his feet, which I find to be one of the most adorable things a baby could do.
• He's wearing 12-month clothes, and I'm sure that 18-month clothes would fit just fine.  I know what this guy is getting for Christmas!
• One of my favorite things about Little Dude are his thighs.  They are these solid chunks of baby fat.  I love it.
• My parents bought him one of those jumperoo things.  Holy moly.  He just loves it.  If you have a baby, you totally need one.  The best is when the Sunbean is running around like a crazy lady, and he just jumps and jumps to keep up with her.  It's like a little glimpse of how insane my life will be when this kid starts moving on his own.
• Speaking of, I think he'll be like the Sunbean.  She was an early sitter, and a late crawler.  Little Dude can pretty much sit on his own, but shows very little interest in laying on his tummy or back.  That's exactly what the Sunbean did, and she crawled at about 10 months.
• This kid is still waking up every 2-3 hours at night.  It's seriously ridiculous.  I'm not willing to let him cry, though, so I'll suffer through the fragmented sleep for a few more months.  It just kills me that this 17-ish pound kid can't sleep for longer than that.  Sigh.

We love you, baby boy!

The Pumpkin Project

 

Christmas for My Fellow Type-As

Remember that one time, when I had a blog I actually updated? This move has seriously thrown off my routine.

Anyway, one thing that has really been taking my time is this sweet Christmas shopping app I found. I actually broke down and paid $.99 for it, which is completely out of character for me.

But this app is sweet. I'm so excited about Christmas shopping. It allows you to add individuals, and then organize them into groups. You can add gift ideas for each person, and then sort by stores.

And! There is a handy little bar graph that shows the percentage of gifts you've purchased.

Oh, and it is password-protected, for nosy husbands and children.

It's called 'The Christmas List' if you're interested.

Happy Organizing.

Blessing, Blessing, Blessing

Last week, I was ridiculously over-productive.  I have a few projects to share, but I need to sift through a kajillion photos first.

But here's a sweet project that I whipped up last week:  a trio of blessing outfits.  I already posted this on Facebook, but I'm all about over-sharing.

My dear friends Abby and Eli recently had triplets.  Just to make sure you have a clear picture here, they also have 2-year-old twins.  When we get together with them and our other good friends, we have 9 children, ages 3 and under.  It's a good time.

Anyway, Abby asked me to make some outfits for the trips, and I was happy to oblige.  The babies are tipping the scales between 5 and 6 pounds right now, so it was pretty much like sewing doll clothes.  I used a newborn pattern and then modified it a little so that they would fit.

Overall, I think they turned out pretty good.  Of course, there are things I'd change, so if any of you ever have miniature-sized babies that need a blessing outfit, give me a ring.

Wendy, Jack, and Luke.

Or is it Wendy, Luke, and Jack?

Primarily Wonderful

I heard from a little bird that I was officially released on Sunday as the Primary President.  We've moved, so I wasn't there.  I'd been unofficially released of my duties before we moved, but I couldn't be released until they found a replacement.  She'll be outstanding.

But I wanted to take the time to mention my experience in Primary.

Just over two years ago was, essentially, my first day in Primary.  It was also my first day as Primary President.  I can't explain the feeling of complete inadequacy I felt when I accepted this calling.  Why I would be chosen to lead and teach the children of our ward was beyond my comprehension.

Very few things in my life have led me to fervent prayer as much as Primary.  Many tears were shed the past two years as I searched for the best way to serve the young children.

I've been humbled by the knowledge, desire, and testimony of these children countless times.  They've taught me how to teach my own children.

I'm sure we'll have new callings to focus on soon, and I'll learn new lessons and strengthen my testimony in other ways.  I'm excited to move on, and thankful for the blessings that came into our lives because of my time as Primary President.

For now, I'm enjoying the free time.

Yummy in My Tummy

The past few weeks have been nothing short of ridiculously crazy, so I made it my mission to actually prepare some meals this week.  For some reason, meal prep is so overwhelming for me.  So I have a new system.  I'm going to alternate nights:  one night make something that takes effort, one night make something super simple.  Hopefully we find ourselves eating something besides pasta on a regular basis.

This week, though, I made a few recipes that I thought were ultra-tasty.  MacGyver snarfed them up, too, but he's not a great gauge of food....he'll eat absolutely anything.

On Monday, we had Panera, because we bought a sofa and a new mattress.  Expensive busy awesome day.  There's just no time to prepare meals when one is busy flopping down on couches and mattresses.  Also, the Sunbean now asks every day if we can go mattresses shopping.  She enjoyed the jumping part.

On Tuesday, we had Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps.  Good gracious, these were delicious.  And easy, really.  The pan-cooking part was a tad messy, and they didn't stay rolled, but they still tasted good.

Wednesday was my off-day.  Pasta and sauce.  Done.

Then yesterday, we had pork tenderloin and Roasted Smashed Potatoes.  Another win-win-winner.  The potatoes were simply fantastic, and easy.  They did take quite awhile, and set off the smoke alarm at least 3 times.  But well worth it.  As for the pork tenderloin, I did something I rarely do, and that's create a recipe.  I googled around and couldn't find what I was looking for, so I just went with it.  And no one got food poisoning, so I'll call that a win.

Here's what I did.  First, I trimmed off the fat from the tenderloin.  Then I sprinkled both sides with pepper, garlic salt, and a load of cinnamon.  In an oven-safe pan, I heated some oil (EVOO) and a generous amount of honey on medium heat.  Then I browned both sides of the pork for 5 minutes each.  I stuck the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees, and she was done.  I put the pork on a plate, and then put the pan back on the stovetop.  I added a little water to the sludge in the pan, and simmered that for a few minutes.  I then sliced the pork (holy amazing....the expensive organic stuff is soooooo worth it), and dumped the stuff in the pan over top.

Not to toot my own recipe-creating horn, but that was some tasty pork.  So if you're in the cooking mood this weekend, try one of these.  We weren't disappointed.

Tonight is another off-duty night, so we're having pizza and milkshakes with friends.  Best recipe yet.

Little Dude is...

Well, a week ago.

Stats:

Weight:  16 pounds 7 ounces, 75%

Height: 25 inches, 50%

Head Size: 17 inches, 75%

• I feel like we're officially past the 'newborn' stage now.  It makes me sad to see that go.
• Even more upsetting is that we're moving past the 'I'll sleep wherever and whenever' phase.  Sooooo sad.  Time to bust out my sleep book.
• Little Dude is now grabbing and reaching for things.  For me, this is one of the most incredible stages.  I just love to watch him figure out that he can touch things.
• We were home last week, and my mom bought him this ball that he is obsessed with.  It's cute.
• He's still loving being swaddled.  He looks ridiculous, but whatever works is fine with me.
• This little guy just loves his big sister.  I love to watch them play.  I also love the free time it gives me.
• I had to buy him some socks that are for 18-month-olds.  I know.
• He's comfortably wearing 12-month clothing, and some 9-month clothing.  His waist seems to be longer than his legs.
• He's a little chatterbox, and I have to stay that I love how his face lights up when he sees me.  That sounds selfish, but it's so rewarding!  And I know that in a few short years, I'll be the most embarrassing person on the planet.
• You should see how this little boy loves his Bampa.  He saves his biggest smiles for Bampa.

 

We love you, sweet boy!