A Day in the Life

More pictures from today. KB picked out & put on her own socks and shoes. Cute, huh? And, yes, I had to bribe them to actually get this picture taken! :)
Jewell at 6 days old! I think she looks a lot like Ethan, and the most like me of any of our kids. Here is a picture of Lance & I as newborns.

New Baby Gifts

E & KB got new gifts from the baby, with a little help from mommy & daddy. The kids were thrilled!
They didn't waste any time digging into them. It was a nice distraction. Boy, do we have helpers! Only a few hours into their new roles, the kids are ready to hold, change, layer on 4 blankets, give her pacis, help feed her rice, show her their special tricks, brush her hair, blow her nose & put hats on our new baby. Wow. It's a lot of work just keeping their little hands at bay! This will be a ride for sure!

Our Growing Family

It was so much fun seeing the joy on the children's faces when they came to visit!

Jewell Louise

Many of you already know this, but yesterday we welcomed Jewell Louise into the world!!! It was the longest of all my labors, totalling about 24 hours in all. I started having very minor, short & consistent contractions on Wednesday at around 2 in the afternoon. They started getting painful at around 5 (but still short.) They continued throughout the night, and finally we went to the hospital around 10 am on Thursday morning. I was 5 cm dialated when we got there, and 20 minutes later I was at 8. Although I wanted to give birth without an epidural, I changed my mind somewhere along the way. I was exhausted from a long sleepless night & simply out of gas. Why can't I ever be one of those quick 1 hour births!!!??? Anyway, Jewell was born at 1:30 pm, 8.11 ounces (my biggest baby!) and 19 inches long. Jewell is my grandmother's name. Louise is the middle name of both of Lance's grandmothers, as well as his mother and sister.

More pictures to come soon!

Crafting

We've been having fun these days. Yesterday we made these bowls. A few weeks ago we made these fun volcanos. And hopefully soon we'll be painting some of these flowers!

I'm so thankful for all the fun websites that show fun stuff to do with kids. Here are my favorites. Do you have any good inspirational spots on the web? Or kids crafting books?
Makes & Takes
Skip to My Lou
Crafty Crow

Sickness

We haven't gotten sick yet this fall, but it seems like the germs are making their rounds a bit early this year. I need to make another batch of this stuff!

Babies

Here are KB & E at birth. What will #3 look like? Only God knows!!!

I Should Have Sent My Husband

I should have sent Lance in for the $.80 piece of elastic. Because I left my favorite fabric store with 2 yards of expensive flannel, and blanket binding. Now I have a new baby blanket! Do I need a new baby blanket?...No. But I haven't made anything for the new baby yet! Now she has her own special thing made by mama. I think that's worth the money I spent.

This is Our Life

Our lives aren't crazy, but it's the timing of our lives that are so bizarre. I was so excited to have a normal baby experience for once - we moved right before E was born. We moved & renovated right after KB. But Lance has decided to take on a series of home renovation projects at the last minute. Plus our car broke. So Lance, Jim & his dad had to replace the starter this week. This is how things operate around here. One thing led to another, and now we have a busted pipe in our bathroom. Yesterday, he was knocking out plaster in our family room. (I promise he's very handy!) I hope we can get this pipe and hole in the wall fixed today, but you never know...it's always a surprise around here! Many of you know that we live in an older house. In our bathroom, we have an old medicine cabinet. I never paid attention, but there is a slot in the back of the medicine cabinet. Do you have one of these guys in your house? Ever wonder what the slot is for? Well, we discovered...It's for old razorblades! Hope we got them all. If not, tetanus here we come!

Pregnancy, Nursing & the Restricted Diet

Many of you may remember a few years ago, when Ethan had more food allergies (we were peanut, tree nut, milk, egg, and shellfish-free). We're so thankful to now be down to just a tree nut allergy. Still requires diligence, but it's a million times easier to fix dinner. Anyway, when I was in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy, I tried to cut down on the number of those foods I was eating. Then, for 5 months of nursing, I remained completely free of those foods. Although there was no conclusive research (and there still isn't), the allergist's belief was that avoidance of these foods on my part might prevent KB from developing the allergies as well.

All that hard work, and now the allergists are changing their mind. Still no conclusive research, but this is no longer recommended by most allergists. But it was such a concern for me at this point in the pregnancy. Nursing can bring on the hunger like you can't imagine, and with so many restrictions, I was very concerned about having food around that I could eat.

Thankfully, I have amazing friends. Really, really amazing. They brought me foods that Ethan & I could eat. While I was used to cooking that way, it's not easy, it is more costly, and it's really out of most people's comfort zones. I am convinced that bringing food to a new mom is one of the greatest gifts, but bringing food to someone with a restricted diet is especially great.

Do you know anyone who has a restricted diet? A while ago, I put together this list of helpful tips for bringing food to someone with a restricted diet. Your friend will be so grateful for the food, but I must also say that that friend will also have some concerns that you would not predict. If you are double-checked on ingredients, please don't be offended.

Hope it's helpful! I'm so thankful I don't have to deal with it this time around!!!

38 Weeks

A week and a half left before my due date! Due next Friday!!! And we may have actually decided on a name!! We're going to keep it under wraps until we are for sure.

CSA, October

Here are pictures from the last 2 weeks' CSA shares. I've been behind on my cooking, so I'm going to work hard this week to get caught up! Tonight's dinner was: kale chips, indian style okra, stuffed green bell peppers, and baked delicata squash. I have lots more cooking to do to get caught up!
Ethan helping with the Kale Chips.

Fall Veggie: Butternut Squash

Time for Winter Squash! I have lots of these piling up in my kitchen, so here's a post I liked from TheKitchn. 8 Things to Do with Butternut Squash. Perfect timing for me. I haven't spent much time looking through their suggestions, but this week I'm planning to cook up some Butternut Squash Risotto, and also some Penne with Butternut Squash, Sage and Prosciutto. What's your favorite butternut squash recipe?

In other food news, I made this yesterday, Jessica Seinfeld's Chicken Nuggets (with flax, and sweet potatoes) and it was a huge hit. And last week I made this beet cake, which was so great, and tasted a lot like carrot cake.And check these out, also from The Kitchn! I hope to try these some day.

Father Abraham

Katie Belle loves to sing! This is her latest favorite...

Anyone Out There?

If anyone is still out there, we're really on the home stretch now. My due date is 2 weeks and 2 days from now!! Not a whole lot going on around here, just getting ready for no-name-baby-#3. When we have a baby & a name, I'll let you know!(pictured: my little artist above, and kb acting just like mommy!)

CSA - September

Of course I'm behind again on some CSA posts. Here's what we received in September. For a flashback, check out what we got last fall right here.

Jedi Robe

I mentioned that Ethan has been into Star Wars...actually, the Clone Wars cartoons, to be exact. So I've been working on making E a jedi robe. I think KB wants to keep it - I might have to make her a little Yoda outfit!

First Haircut

Last week, we took KB in for her first haircut! It wasn't much of a cut, more like just a tiny little trim. But it was still a big moment. Don't you love how they gave her a poker robe? Really? For her first haircut? Don't you guys have Winnie the Pooh or something? Anyway, there is not a huge difference, but I think she looks precious. It's crazy how a first haircut can make them look so much older!

Nesting...Displaying Kids Artwork

I love art. We have paintings displayed from my mother, grandmother, myself, and a variety of friends and local artists throughout our house. So for a while I've been trying to figure out how to display the kids artwork in the house. The problem is...we also don't like clutter. So I was scouring the ohdeedoh.com for inspiration (see here and here) and I settled on this solution. I am so excited about hanging the kids artwork here!!!

PS. Don't you love how "nesting" usually results in a laundry list of "To Do's" for the husband? He did a great job though. Thanks honey!

Ethan & Cars

It's hard to believe that Ethan was about the same age as KB is now in this video. I was pregnant with Katie Belle, and Ethan loved cars. He would sit and look at car magazines for ages. He wanted to talk about them in parking lots. He couldn't get enough. Ethan could recognize about 20+ car manufacturers. He recognized the difference between a Honda and a Hyundai. He recognized that the old Kitchen Aid's logo looked just like a Nissan one. Once he folded a french fry in half, and said, "Acura!" It's hard to believe that all that car knowledge is gone. Am I glad he replaced the memorization of car logos with that of numbers & letters? oh yes. But it's just fascinating that something that so consumed him has vanished. Now he's moved onto legos, action figures, & Star Wars. I can't wait to see what's next for my little ones!

Fabric Bucket

Remember when I used to sew? Ahh...memories. Well, I wouldn't say that I'm "back at it," but I am trying to finish up a few projects before the baby gets here. I am so excited about this one! It's a fabric bucket that I've been meaning to make for ages. I pulled this tutorial, and got to work! It was a fun little project, and I think it turned out pretty cute!

Fire Station

Last week, we headed over to the local fire station and met some real firemen! Ethan has this awesome fireman costume...doesn't it look like the real ones? The kids had a blast! We love firemen!

Counting Down

A funny little belly shot my husband took without my knowledge. I promise it's the horizontal stripes which is making my belly look so big. :)

I just have a few weeks left (6 weeks and a day to be exact) before #3 gets here! Still slowly chipping away at little projects around the house, and trying to get the room all ready! KB is now in a big girl bed, and the transition from the crib to the bed was fabulous. E & KB are getting along more & more every day, which is such a relief. Plus, Ethan has really been into Legos (and Katie Belle is into babies, purses, and anything girly) which is helpful as they are better & better about playing by themselves. We are no closer to deciding a name. There are lots that we like, but none that really seem to fit just yet. So now we're trying to finish up some projects & wait for #3 to join us!

Master Pouter

Our little girl knows how to pout!!! Some of you have seen this one, but it's worth a repeat. This is my precious little one when she was put into time out. Needless to say, she was not happy! I am so astounded by kids & the habits they pick up. I'm blaming this one on my husband! :)

My Favorite Part

This was one of my favorite memories of childhood - licking the spoon clean. Looks like they are fans of it too.

CSA - More August

Well, I'm behind on my CSA posts. So here are the past 3 Sunday's shares. The below picture is from this week. On our menu is Eggplant Parmesan, my grandma's Squash Casserole (no cream of soups!), Stewed Okra & Tomatoes, Sliced Cucumbers,Cherry Tomato Couscous, baked potatoes and homemade salsa. Check out the Green Zebra Tomatoes. Aren't they pretty? And I'm way backed up on peppers. Time to stick some of those guys in the freezer!

Visitors!

Our friends Tommy & Becca came to visit this past week. The kids were in love with them! (Remember the cuties as ring bearer & flower girl at their wedding?) KB asked for "TommyBecca" every morning, instructing Becca to play in the kitchen, sit down, read books, etc. See you guys again soon we hope!

Back to School!

This week, Ethan went back to preschool, and Katie Belle started too! I can't believe it. She seems like such a baby! In other big news, she's decided to potty train this week. It's crazy how easy it can be when they really want it. What a difference from the firstborn boy....

Canning Peaches

And now to canning peaches! I had my very first solo run of canning! It went well, but was time consuming. And I goofed a bit. I thought things were going well, but lost some of the liquid during the canning process. Major bummer. So these are still okay to eat, but I've read that I really should get around to eating them sooner than later, due to the loss of liquids. That stinks, because I was really looking forward to opening these this winter! My kids love those little travel-sized packs of peaches, so this was my attempt at preserving something similar. No preservatives, just peaches + sugar! Boy are they yummy.

30 Weeks

I can't believe that I'm 30 weeks! Time flies with baby #3. Except for the heat, which continually reminds me that it is NOT fun to be pregnant in this Southern Summer! 3rd Trimester + 100 Degree Temperatures = One Grumpy Pregnant Lady.

We still haven't gotten anywhere with the baby names. Here's where I go out on a limb and say, "Suggestions, Anyone?" Feel free to suggest, as long as you don't get your feelings hurt if we don't pick your name. We are having a hard time with this one! I liked Ruby (a family name on my side) but I know a dozen baby Ruby's right now!!!

CSA, August 1

This week we received corn, melon, tomatoes, green bell pepper, cucumber, potatoes, pattypan squash & green beans. Here's what we got this week last year.

Cherry Tomato Tart

Between my garden and the CSA, I had lots of cherry tomatoes floating around here! So on Monday, I made this Cherry Tomato Tart (recipe from Food & Wine Magazine). Oh....It was Delicious. I highly doubted my husband would eat it, because he rarely likes straight-up tomatoes. I thought about going the route of a tomato pie, full of cheese & mayo, which would have been an effort to ensure that the husband ate it. But I'm glad I didn't. He went back for thirds!!! I followed the recipe exactly, but instead of a tart pan, I used a pie pan. Worked beautifully. And 2 days later, I'm already accumulating another mass of cherry tomatoes (and Tommy Toes, thanks to Karina!) This is on the list to make again shortly.This morning, I've got a pot of homemade spaghetti sauce on the stove, thanks to even more tomatoes that have been piling up in my kitchen!.

New Lens

We got a new camera & new lens. I like it!