Sunday, January 31, 2010

February Comment Love

I think Heather said it best...so click over here to read :)

I've been such a horrible blog commenter lately...well, probably a lot longer than that, but I want to get back in the habit of letting my blog friends know that I'm reading, thinking of them, agree or disagree with their posts, wanted to say hi, etc., by leaving comments. I need to start leaving feedback and in turn, hopefully will get some blog friends and readers to leave a comment on here; maybe it's just to say hello and write where you are reading from, maybe it's to say something along the lines of stop always posting stuff about Evan (or maybe not), maybe it's to say that you want to know more information about me....whatever it may be, it's always nice to get a little feedback and comment love.

Wanna join in??? All you need to do is leave at least three comments on blogs that you read each day! You can do it, I can do it....we can leave comments together! :)
Happy February Eve! It starts tomorrow!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Not ready for the road...

 
"Hello there! I'm just getting ready to take my car out for a spin!"



Dear Evan, you need to keep your mouth off the steering wheel and watch the road. Love, Mom

Smiles

Feeling much more positive this weekend and Evan is getting better! :)



Friday, January 29, 2010

not the best week...

So, this hasn't been my favorite week....there is nothing in particular or huge that happened to make it feel that way; just a lot of tiny little things that have added up.

  • Cast still on...enough said.
  • Cold, dreary, rainy weather and a cooped up dog
  • Homework :(
  • Mike's grandpa is sick and isn't doing well
  • Evan has another ear infection and another virus and isn't sleeping well at all.
  • Trip to the doctor this morning and then waiting 1 hour for a prescription...not fun!
  • Evan screaming for at least an hour before every nap
  • Waking up every hour between 7 pm and 11 pm last night...then waking up at 1:30 and 4 am. 
  • Grey's Anatomy wasn't new this week
  • Almost fell in the kitchen when my cast slipped on Jack's drool and splashed water from his bowl
  • A peppermint cake that broke in half...we still ate it (I'm definitely not Betty Crocker)
  • Did I mention no sleep from a crying baby
TGIF Everyone! Hope this weekend is better!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

8 is great!


Dear Evan,
I can't believe that you are 8 months old already!?! You are growing up right before our eyes. You are at such a fun age and your dad and I love watching you explore and learn. You are so curious about everything and want to know everything that is going on. You watch everything that mommy and daddy do and you take everything in. You've gotten two bumps on your head because you love to stand up and let go and have fallen into the entertainment system and the door frame these past few weeks. ouch! It is hilarious to watch you interact with others...you are such a flirt! When someone smiles at you, you smile back and if someone laughs, you laugh right back at them. It's so cute to watch. You are doing great with sleeping and we are still working on eating finger foods. You like cheerios, crackers, and puffs even though you seem to gag with every other bite. We'll keep working on the whole chewing thing! You got your first tooth this month and your second one is coming in right behind it. We are also working on using a sippy cup since you still don't want to use a bottle. That's okay with mommy since I don't have to wash them! You love playing with daddy in the morning while mommy gets an extra half hour of sleep. :) We love you so much Evan Samuel. Happy 8th month birthday!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Top 10 Tuesday

The top 10 things I'd like to do in the next month...

  1. Learn how to use Photoshop Elements
  2. Scrapbook at least 15 pages of Evan's year so far
  3. Get the bathroom sanded and repainted
  4. Copy the family ancestry photos I borrowed from my Great Aunt Hattie
  5. Clean up the basement and get it organized
  6. Get a binder to put all of  my recipes inside so they are organized :)
  7. Sign Evan up for the next round of swimming lessons
  8. Download and save my pictures and videos on my new external hard drive
  9. Beat my husband in the trivia pursuit game on the PS3
  10. Get my haircut and highlighted

What do you want to do in the next month?

Monday, January 25, 2010

someone is getting their 2nd tooth!


Rollback...

Not the way I'd like to spend two hours of my time. Went to the store with rollback prices this morning to get a new tire for my car and have all of them rotated. Was told it would take 45 minutes....okay, not too bad. Decided to walk around for a bit and pick up a few things for our trip to Florida in March. 2 hours later the car was ready...apparently I had some new guy working on the car changing and rotating the tires. Ugh! So glad Evan was good! He loved riding around in the cart looking at people and was in a good mood, especially because it was way past his morning nap time! Next time I think I'll send Mike to do all of that! :)

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Writer's Block

For my Master's Class this semester our first assignment is to write our life story, otherwise known as an autobiography. I've had the assignment for the last week, but just can't seem to get the juices flowing. I'm not sure where to start, what to really go into details with, etc. Since the class is Celebration of Good Books through Reading, we are supposed to write more about how we learned to read and write and influences with that. We can also add information about our family, hobbies, etc. I have lots of ideas swirling through my head but just can't seem to mesh it all together so it doesn't sound so boring! I want to get this done today...I have about 2 pages done but keep getting interrupted by making dinner, watching the Saints score, and playing around on facebook! ha! I guess I just need to go into hibernation to finish this up tonight. Any ideas you have would be appreciated. :)
Thanks!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Laughs, Mirrors, and Jack

Evan is hilarious! He continues to put a smile on our faces and loves laughing all the time. Now when you laugh at him he'll laugh back at you...It's pretty cute to see him so happy! Here are just a few more pictures from St. Louis this past week.


Evan and Grandma Merritt :)


Evan's new toy from Grandma and Grandpa...a little musical piano. He was kissing the baby in the mirror! :)


"Who is this looking at me???" He loves mirrors and couldn't get enough of the baby looking back at him! ha!


Jack and Evan are two peas in a pod! They are so funny to watch together. Jack is so good at letting Evan climb all over him and whack him in the face. Jack is just hoping to give him a big 'ol kiss or maybe one of his toys!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Hanging out in STL

While Mike is in Orlando for training this week we've been hanging out at my parent's house in St. Louis. Evan is getting some Grandpa and Grandma time and loving every minute. :)

Evan decided to pull down the mobile hanging over his crib at Grandma and Grandpa's during nap time...That was a fun nap ;)
























Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Tuesday Top 10

Top 10 things I can and can't do with a broken foot

  1. I can't wear two shoes
  2. I can bring more shoes out of town since I only need one!
  3. I can't work out
  4. I can sit on my duff playing the wii (bowling or trivia anyone?!) :)
  5. I can't go up and down the stairs carrying laundry baskets
  6. I can let my husband do it (which he does every week watching football anyway!)
  7. I can't easily go shopping with Evan and crutches
  8. I can park in handicap thanks to my temporary tag just in case I need to run to Target :)
  9. I can't wait to get this thing off!
  10. I can wear cute socks over my cast to keep my toes warm! (Thanks Amanda for my xmas gift!)

fun with daddy

Mike's out of town this week at a training in Orlando and I got some cute pics of him and Evan yesterday playing with his hat. Go Eagles. :) We miss you da-da...see you soon! xoxo











 

 

Monday, January 18, 2010

first boo boo

Do you see it? His first small boo-boo on his forehead. He hit his head climbing up to the entertainment center and then slid down and hit his head on the small knob of the drawer...ouch! Good thing he's tough like his mama! :)



Sunday, January 17, 2010

pants on the ground...

Pants on the ground...pants on the ground....lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground! :)



Saturday, January 16, 2010

bed head



Someone might be in need of a haircut soon... :)




Friday, January 15, 2010

Wii anyone?

  • The past couple of days my laptop has been out of commission and I've been too lazy to hobble downstairs and get on the other computer. I finally got out of the house to get an oil change the other day...woohoo! It's hard to get around with a broken foot and a baby! Thank goodness I haven't really needed to go anywhere plus it's still pretty darn cold outside. Evan had mastered pulling up....looks like Mike and I need to move everything higher where he can't get into it...wish us luck! :)



"Oh look! New toys for me!"




 "These look fun!"
 



 
 "Anyone want to play Wii Playground?"
 
"What??? I'm not doing anything wrong! :) "


Thursday, January 14, 2010

smiley :)

Seriously my heart melts every single time I see his smile...




 

 

 

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Totally Inspiring

Head on over here to see a way you could help out others families and babies! If you are interested you can leave a comment here or on Katrina's site. Her niece is amazing! What an inspiration! Evan, Mike and I are sending three...one for each of us :)

cookin' away

For our anniversary, we decided to get some new pots and pans! Romantic right?! I think so! :) Since I've been staying home I decided to start trying to learn how to cook healthier and smarter for our family...it's also cheaper. We decided to get the Rachael Ray stuff and for Christmas I got The Pioneer Woman's cookbook and I love it! It's so simple to see what should happen next and the pictures help me (I'm a visual learner!) . What are some of your favorite websites or recipes to use?? Feel free to share! Happy Wednesday!




 

Plus not to mention this blog, and this one, and this site! :) I love finding new recipes to use!

Here are a couple of my new favorite recipes...and they are super easy! (These recipes are for 2-3 people, so if you need more, just double the recipe.)

  • Pepperoni Loaf
You'll need:
  1. 1 refrigerated pizza crust
  2. 8 oz shredded mozzarella
  3. 4 oz pepperoni
  4. 1 egg white (or I used melted butter)
  5. 1 t. garlic salt 
  6. 1 t. pepper 
  7. 4 t. Italian seasoning
  8. Spaghetti sauce for dipping
  • Spread pizza crust to a large rectangle on a sprayed cookie sheet.
  • Brush with egg white (or melted butter)
  • Sprinkle spices evenly, then cheese, then a single layer of pepperoni
  • Roll loaf up lengthwise
  • Pinch ends and place seam side down
  • Brush egg white on top (or with melted butter)
  • Bake 20 minutes at 400 until bread it done
  • Serve with warmed spaghetti sauce for dipping
You can eat this with corn on the cob and salad! Yum!!!!


  • This is another favorite around here...Salsa Sirloin Salad
You'll need:
  1. 3/4 to 1 lb. beef top sirloin steak, fat trimmed
  2. chili powder
  3. garlic salt
  4. 1/2 bag mixed salad greens
  5. 1/2 can chili beans (drained)
  6. 1/2 can corn, (drained)
  7. 2 roma tomatoes, diced
For the dressing you'll need: 1/4 c. salsa, 1/4 c. oil/vinegar dressing (Instead of oil/vinegar, we used Italian dressing and it was great!)

  • Sprinkle both sides of steak with chili powder and garlic salt
  • Cook steak in non-stick skillet on medium heat 5 minutes per side, or until desired doneness
  • Carve steak into thin strips
  • Combine salad greens, beans, corn, and salad dressing 
  • Divide evenly between 2 plates and add steak strips and diced tomatoes on top of salad
This is great with  French bread too! We slice french bread lengthwise, spray the inside halves with olive oil or spray butter and sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan. Slice, and bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Yummy!!!


Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Happy Birthday!


Happy Birthday Great Grandma Laughlin!

Love, Evan (and Mike and Kasey!)

Monday, January 11, 2010

ancestry

Some of the things I've been working on lately is to try and find my ancestors. I've always been interested in this and since having Evan it's been on my mind more so than usual. My Uncle Mark recently sent some of these pictures to the family. I love finding out bits and pieces of information about my family and looking at pictures and imagining the story behind each one. I've been using ancestry.com and love it. You don't have to pay unless you want to and it keeps everything nice and tidy in the tree branches! I even found some death certificates online...It's amazing what you can learn about your family


Here are some of the things I've found out...

  • My great grandma (on my mom's side) was named Pearl Ivy Allen (Scott) and was married to William Edward Allen. He was a coal weigher and passed away from a railroad accident.

  • Pearl's dad was William Henry Scott and was a farmer who passed away from myocarditis at the age of 84. 

  • William's dad was Julius Max Scott who was born in 1838 and married Susan Henson in 1865. So...Julius Max Scott was Evan's Great Great Great Great Grandpa. wow!

Here are some pictures...


This is (from l to r): Charles Scott, William Henry Scott, Lionel "Ona" Scott, Nettie (Guthrie) Scott, and baby. It is Evan's great great great Grandpa and Grandma William and Jeanette "Nettie".



This is (from l to r):
William Henry Scott (much older than the previous pic), his siblings Julius Wiley Scott, Bertie (Scott) Chastain, and their father, Julius Max Scott. And wow...look at that beard!


This last picture is of Nettie and William Scott and their children. Nettie (Jeanette May) and William Henry are in the front row...he has the hat.
Back row: Naomi May, Cora Crystal, Pearl Ivy  (my great grandma), Jeanette Violet, and June Jewell.
Front row: Lionel Bruce "Ona", Victor Vivian, Charles Douglas, Nettie, William, Macky Edwin Ishmael, and Murray Richard

  • I love reading their first and middle names and wondering who they were as people....as family....It's so interesting trying to find the answers!

tv lineup this week...


Since I can't do much else with a broken foot, this is what I have to look forward to this week! :)
What are you looking forward to???? Maybe it's something better than tv! ha!

stickies



Week 2 Photo Challenge at i heart faces









This week's theme is "Best Face Photo" over at i heart faces. Head on over to i heart faces to see all of the wonderful pictures! This is Evan playing Peek a boo! :)

 Happy Birthday i ♥ faces!!!!




Sunday, January 10, 2010

Happy Birthday Uncle Dave!


Happy Birthday to you...
Happy Birthday to you...
Happy Birthday dear Uncle Dave...
Happy Birthday to you!
Love, Evan


Hope you have a great birthday Dave!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Peek-A-Boo



Friday, January 8, 2010

finally got a shot of the tooth...

Here it is!!!





Can you see it Mom??? There's his 1st tooth :) (don't mind the spit bubble!)


Flashback Friday


On this freezing Friday while I am staying warm in my Mizzou Snuggie, I thought I'd pull out some pictures from the past! At least looking at them makes me feel a bit warmer and ready for summer!
Happy Friday everyone!