Changes

This time a month ago, I was impatiently awaiting the arrival of our little girl. Enduring braxton hicks contractions, knowing that my body was already preparing for her arrival...not understanding why she hadnt made her appearance yet. My midwives and nurses were astounded at the fact that I had not delivered. On Halloween, when asking a nurse whether or not I should have our families make the drive to Fort Worth that night she responded "Do you want them there for the delivery? If so, you should tell them to come right away." Its hard to believe that in just 5 days, our little one will be a month old.
Saying that our life has changed would be an understatement, but its true. There is nothing now that is anything like it was before. Our relationships have changed, our daily activities have changed, our dinner times, our social lives, everything has changed. Kyle and I dont have near the time together that we had before Milly was born, and even then it was limited. We dont have near the time to spend with Bennett as our attention is always divided. We are exhausted. Its a challenge to cook dinner, to clean house, to take showers...its a challenge to find time to eat (for me), a challenge to remember to brush my teeth, to shave my legs..and its worth every bit of a challenge, every bit of change, and every amount of time it takes to raise two children. The joy in our lives has doubled, the love we get to share has doubled, the excitement of being able to see our children grow and change and develop has doubled. There is nothing in the world like being a parent.
To talk a bit about Milly, she was born on November 6th at 12:37pm. She was 8 pounds and 20 inches long. I was scheduled for induction that morning, but I am convinced that I was already in the early stages of labor as we went in to the hospital. Upon arriving and getting checked in, filling out paperwork and discussing medical history with the nurse I had dialated to a 4. We discussed my options, whether or not I wanted to be given pitocin or have my water broke. We decided we wanted to break my water and see how my body responded. At 9 am, my midwife came in and broke my water. I had been having contractions (that didnt hurt) up to this point, but once my water was broken, they started coming really quickly and were really intense. At 9:30 am, they were so bad that I asked for my epidural. Some time around 10:30, I was checked again and delighted to find that I had progressed to an 8. My nurse told me to make sure and call them if at any time I felt like I needed to push. Not long after she left, I began to feel more pressure, but didnt want to call them back in to early. A little before noon, I called my nurses in, was checked and told that it was time to push. By this time, Milly was already crowning. I think the nurses were nervous they were going to have to deliver her because one of them pulled out her cell to call the midwife about the time she walked in. I pushed for about 30 minutes and Milly was born at 12:37.

We only spent one night in the hospital, and came home Wednesday evening around 5:00 pm. Kyle was home with me for almost a week and a half after that.
Since Milly's birth, it has definitely been an experience learning how to manange a household with another child, but its been awesome. I never knew that mommies were capapble of loving so much, but I love my babies more than anything in the world. I cant wait to see what the next 18 years have to hold.
I attemped to have a photo shoot with Milly this afternoon since we didnt have newborn pictures done. Here is one of the cute ones I happened to get.

Milly's Birth Day

 

 

Monkey'in Around for Halloween

Decorating cookies!

Soooo Good!

Our last picture as a family of three!

He was having too much fun..

Any Time Now

I went to the doctor yesterday. I am at a 3 and 50% effaced! The midwife said she expected me to go into labor any time, and that she definitely didnt expect to see me for another appointment! I am so stinking excited, but ready to get this show on the road too. After she said I could potentially go into labor any time, I became SUPER impatient for Milly to get here. I have been having pretty regular contractions (without pain) which is how it started with Bennett, but this pregnancy is already different in the way my body has/is progressing. With Bennett, I was at a 1 and about 25% effaced when I went into labor. They kept me at the hospital when I had finally made it to a 3, so you can imagine Im wondering what in the world my body is doing this time! Knowing that we are really close to welcoming Milly into our family is super nervewracking though! I think we have everything planned/scheduled/arranged for our time in the hospital. Our sweet neighbors Kevin and Anna are going to keep Bennett until Kyle's parents and sister get here and then they are going to take over until its time for me to push and then they are coming up to the hospital. We have talked with the midwives about our labor plan (and I have one typed up,) our bags are packed, the car seat is in the car, the diaper bag is packed, bottles are sanitized just in case I decide to formula feed...everyone has been notified of the impending arrival of our little one and now we are just waiting.
Ive decided that I want Bennett to be the first person after me, Kyle and my mom to see Milly. I want him to be able to see her and I want to see him before we are bombarded with everyone else in the delivery room. Its just important to me that we get time together as a family before the rest of our family comes in. I cant wait to experience those sweet moments together. I think Im almost more nervous about spending so much time away from Bennett than I am about giving birth. He is STILL my baby even though we are bringing another little one into the family. That boy just has my heart like no one else. Among all the other things Im excited about, I cant wait to see Kyle with Milly. He is already silly about this little girl and she isnt even here yet. I can imagine the love that a daddy has for his little girl is like the love I have for my little boy. Now, Im not saying that I wont love Milly just as much as I love Bennett, and likewise for Kyle, but I think it will be a different, equal kind of love. (I guess we will see)

I have pictures from cookie decorating that I need to upload! I hope to get to it before Milly gets here, but if we (I) am lucky, my next post should be announcing her birth! Here's to hoping..

The LD

So here is the "LD" or Low Down on what's going on lately in the lives of the Troyers...We didnt get to decorating cookies last week so we are going to do that tomorrow, and Friday is BOO ZOO where we will dress Bennett up in his costume and take him trick or treating (or something like that.) MOPS was supposed to have a "trick or treating" event this wednesday, but it has been changed to the 31st, much to my dismay. I was really hoping to get in two sessions of trick or treating with Bennett before it got too close to my due date, and Im actually anticipating Milly coming right around Halloween or shortly after. Im not so sure Ill be up to walking around with a million other children swarming all over the place so close to giving birth.
I had my midwife check me for progress at our last appointment. I am at a 1, which is exactly where I was with Bennett at this time in my pregnancy with him. (Im hoping this means she will come early too.) Im planning on having her check me again when I go back on the 24th. I was a bit disappointed that she didnt start me on my every week appointments, but, like with Bennett, my pregnancy is going so smoothly that there really is no reason to come in for visit every week right now. I have been having contractions every day for the last few days, and while they are consistent, they are only consistent for an hour or so and then they stop for good. :( Though I know its too early to be going into labor, Im really anxious to meet Amelia. Im ready for these contractions to turn into the real thing!
Kyle's birthday is coming up too. I keep joking with him that he isnt getting anything but a baby for his birthday but I seriously need to come up with an idea of something to get him. I have a couple things in mind that I would like to get for him for future use, but I kind of want to get him something he can enjoy now. (I really hope that if Im in labor on his birthday that someone will make him a cake, everyone needs at least a cake on their birthday!) I wont even be sad that I cant have any.
Just a reminder, please be praying for us! We have so much coming up in the near future that its a bit overwhelming. Kyle was contacted by a church near Fort Worth and was interviewed Tuesday. He should know something soon if he has made the final round of cuts (to the top TWO!!) and if he does, we all get to go in so they can meet Bennett and me too. He has also applied for another job at the QT corporate office and was contacted in relation to that recently too. We had made the decision to stay here in Fort Worth and not move back until Kyle was done with seminary but it seems as though a state of contentment cannot be found. If either of the two positions doesnt work out, we would like to find a rent house or townhouse near seminary that has three bedrooms. We just dont have that much room as it is and adding another little one is going to make things a bit stuffy! Anywho, we need all the prayer we can get!

As I said, tomorrow is cookie decorating day and Friday is trick or treating at the zoo. Ill post pictures as soon as I can!

Fall Fun!

This week was the start of our Fall Fun Extravaganza week! Wednesday we went to a pumpkin patch, yesterday Bennett painted his pumpkin and today we are going to decorate pumpkin cookies! The pumpkin patch was more of a success than I thought it was going to be: Bennett LOVED it! He started smiling and clapping and making excited noises as soon as we got out of the car. Once we got to the actual pumpkin patch, he just ran around picking up pumpkin after pumpkin and carrying it around until he found another that he wanted to carry. It was so much fun for Kyle and I too! Letting Bennett paint his pumpkin was an adventure for sure. He was interested in painting the pumpkin for about two minutes before he wanted to rub his hands in the paint, rub his paint filled hands on the bricks surrounding our apartment and even EAT the paint. It was a struggle keeping him focused on the pumpkin, but it was fun nonetheless. Bennett had a good time, I got paint all over me, and it wore him out for bath/bed.  Here are some pictures from our adventures so far:

Selecting a pumpkin!



Running through the pumpkin patch!







Painting his pumpkin!

 



He decided that eating the paint would be a good idea!







 

What a Week!

This past week has been full of surprises, disappointments, accomplishments and fun memories. I am continually blown away by how quickly life can change, how abruptly a good day can turn into a bad one and a bad one into a good one. I am amazed at God's grace towards me when I actually realize how much I do not deserve it. I find myself concerned at how easily I can become disappointed and how slow I am to forgive. Im blessed to share fun memories with family and friends, and to have people around us that love us.

Kyle and I have been struggling a bit. We are still learning to juggle being married, having a child, school, work, and social activities. Even with all the great advice given to us before and after getting married, its still hard to remember to put each other 2nd (after our relationship with Christ.) We both struggle to remember each other's love language, to love each other in the way we need to be loved. I struggle with putting Bennett before Kyle; Kyle struggles with putting school or work before me. We need your prayers. Being a parent/full time employee/part time student is hard. We know that God is in control of our situation, that He is in control of our circumstances and we trust Him and His plan. But, we are working on our part of the deal: working to show each other love each and ever day, working to carve out time for each other and working to put each other 2nd.

Bennett is growing up so fast! He has made strides in learning language, he picks up on verbal and social cues, he excels at learning small and large motor skills for his age, he practically runs everywhere he goes, and he is growing into such a precious little boy. He makes my heart smile, he lights up my day and he is his mommy's world. This little boy has made life so different, and Im loving every minute!

My 34 week appointment was last week, and I was disappointed to find that the midwives dont routinely check for progress towards labor starting at 35 weeks. They dont check you until 39 weeks! My midwife did say though that they would check if I wanted them to, so next week Ill be checked to see if Miss Milly is getting ready to make her big debut! Im nervous/excited/emotional/scared and all kinds of other emotions at once just thinking about her coming into the world. The idea of having another baby seems so great and magical until you get this close and then it becomes scary. I remember how hard it was with Bennett to go through those couple months of sleepless nights and evenings where he would cry for two hours straight. (How am I going to do this with a toddler to care for too?) Im praying for the Lord's guidance and strength for the next few months to come.

We're gearing up for a fun month of Fall activities before Amelia arrives! Yesterday we took the boys I tutor to the Holocaust Museum in Dallas, tomorrow we are going to a Hay Ride and Pumpkin Patch, next week we have planned to go to the Dallas Arbortoreum, the next week Bennett gets to trick-or-treat at a nursing home and again at the zoo and in between we are going to play outside, make cookies, paint our pumpkins, etc. Im looking forward to all the memories we get to make before becoming a family of four!

Total Nesting!

I have been going crazy lately with all the things I want to get done before baby girl (still nameless) arrives. I seriously have a list:

1. Scrub the kitchen floor
2. Shampoo the carpets
3. Get rid of ALL unnecessary things
4. Detail clean the bathroom and kitchen
5. Have the car detail cleaned
6. Get our flu shots!
7. Have Kyle (and anyone else that wants to hold our precious girl for the first couple months of her life) get the whooping cough vaccine
8. Make some freezer meals for dinners after she is born
9. Freeze some pancakes/muffins so we arent eating cereal every day
10. Spend more time with my son...his world is about to be ROCKED!

And that is just the small list! I still have clothes that need to be washed, I want to get my bangs trimmed, my toes done, etc. (Gotta have pretty toes for labor/delivery) And we STILL need to pick out a name. I just cant settle on Harper. I dont love it, its too popular, and there are names I like much more than I like Harper. Plus, Kyle and I need to find a name we both love. On top of all this cleaning/organizing I want to get done, there are tons of stuff I want to do with our baby boy before baby girl is born too. We have plans to go to a pumpkin patch and hayride, the Dallas Arbortoreum's pumpkin village, the Halloween thing at the zoo, I want to carve/paint pumpkins, play in leaves, bake pumpkin bread...I want these last few weeks of being a family of three to be filled with fun memories and lots of family time! :)

We have probably less than a month left until the BIG day if baby girl comes early like her big brother. I cant believe how fast this pregnancy has flown by! Its kinda funny too, the time of year that she will be born. She has the possibility of being born on my Mimi's birthday (Oct 28), Kyle's birthday (Nov 4th), Sherrie's birthday (Nov 5th), or my Dad's birthday (Nov 8th). Bennett too had the chance of being born on my birthday (although he would have been WAY early), my Mom's birthday and Kyle's dad's birthday! I hope she is born on Kyle's birthday though! I dont really want to wait that long to hold her, but I think that's the best birthday present God could ever give Kyle. He would LOVE it! Sharing a birthday with his baby girl would probably just make his life! ;)

Lets take bets...who do YOU think she is going to share a birthday with?

Toddler Meal Post: Ham and Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Ham and Broccoli Mac and Cheese has been my go-to lately when Im in a rush to make Bennett something for dinner and dont have much time. Its yummy, semi-healthy and he really likes it! He even eats the broccoli :)

Here is the recipe:

4 cups water

3/4 lb elbow macaroni (3 cups)

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp salt

1 box (10 oz) frozen broccoli, thawed

4 oz baked ham, diced

2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend

Instructions

1. Bring water, macaroni and 1
2. Stir remaining milk
3. Add broccoli and ham to pot

 

 

You can make this MUCH, MUCH easier if you take this version and completely simplify it. Remember the post about Broccoli and Cheese Orzo? Take that recipe and fit it to this one! (Instead of using evaporated milk, mustard, cornstarch...just add a bit of butter, milk and cheese to your noodles once you have boiled and drained them! Then add the ham and broccoli to the pot, put it over low heat and melt that cheese! :) Another plus about this recipe: it keeps for up to three days in the fridge so its great for lunch the next day too!

Toddler Meal Post: Turkey Tortilla Roll-Ups/Family Update

Today, I thought I would do something easy and lunch-rush friendly for all my mommy friends out there. Turkey tortilla roll-ups are a MDO staple in our house. For all of you that are making and sending a lunch for your little one, whether it be to preschool, MDO, kindergarten, etc. you all know how hard it can be to pack something that is wholesome, yummy, and not the same ol' thing every day. I came across the idea for turkey tortilla roll-ups while researching things to feed Bennett. They are easy, yummy, and he loves them!

Here is the recipe:

What You Need:

3 flour tortillas (6 inch)

3 Tbsp. PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese

12 slices OSCAR MAYER Deli Fresh Smoked Turkey Breast

3/4 cup shredded lettuce

 

Make It:

SPREAD tortillas with cream cheese; top with turkey.

PLACE lettuce on bottom halves of tortillas; roll up.

CUT each into 4 slices.

 

 

 

Now, this is just a recipe I found online. Mine are a bit different. I use whole-wheat tortillas, omit the cream cheese in place of colby jack slices, and use spinach leaves in place of the lettuce. I also only make one at a time. Bennett will most definitely not eat three of those!!

 

There hasn't been much new happening in our little family lately. Kyle is still working for QT and I am still staying home with Bennett. This next Wednesday will be my last day to tutor and we are taking the boys to the Holocaust Museum in Dallas. (Im really excited) Its bittersweet to know that another stage in our lives is ending and another about to begin. Kyle is really loving his classes and even says that he gets excited about his homework! Bennett is still trying to adjust to going to MOPS and MDO. Its really hard on him when mommy or daddy leaves him. He is definitely in the middle of seperation anxiety right now, and it just makes my heart sad. I do not like to hear my baby cry! He is growing like a weed, he waves bye, blows kisses, gives love (hugs), he is just turning into his own little lovey person! We have anywhere from about 5-7 weeks until the arrival of our baby girl. A small nugget of news: we are not naming her Harper anymore. (I know, you all are probably fed up with my inability to make a decision on a name!) But, I still believe its just too "mainstream" for a name that I want our child to have. I dont want her to be one of 6 Harpers in her class. I think I just put too much thought into this! We are pretty well prepared for her, I think. We have just about everything we need now, minus a car seat cover and double stroller that my mother and mimi are getting. I cant believe that in less than two months we will be a family of four! Please pray for us. Whenever the Lord puts us on your mind, just pray that he is preparing us for the road ahead. We know it wont be easy, but we are excited nonetheless!

Toddler Meal Post: Snack Ideas

I dont know about you all, but as a mommy of a toddler I have a really hard time finding snacks that are nutritious, yummy, low in sugar, and gets a "thumbs up" from our baby boy. I recently read that a toddler should have no more than 17grams of sugar a day. I thought I had been doing great until I found that Bennett's applesauce pouches have 9 grams of sugar per serving on their own! His fruit bars have 7 grams of sugar, and his juice (if not diluted) has 15 grams of sugar! That is quite a lot of sugar to be feeding a toddler, folks! I had to get out of the rut of fruit bars and applesauce pouches and find something else to feed our baby. Besides, I do not want to grow up a child with an over reliance on sweets and start him out on the track to obesity!  I decided I wanted to post about some great ideas for snacks that I have been trying out with Bennett that are all of the above. I checked out several websites, did tons of research, and came up with a few ideas that are our go-to snack items for baby boy. Now, not all of these snacks are incredibly low in sugar. As the mommy, its your job to monitor how much sugar you are giving, so if you give your little one something that has 10 grams of sugar for one snack, you definitely want to pick something from the list that is either sugar-free or very low in sugar as to not go above the recommended amount of sugar a day. Also, I highly recommend very heavily diluting your little one's juice AND only giving juice once a day. I dont know about you, but I dont want a little one that wont drink water!

So mommies, here are some snack ideas for your little one! Enjoy! :)

1. Cheese and Saltine Crackers
2. Cheese and Purple Grapes
3. Cheerio, Dried Pineapple and Rasin Trail Mix
4. Peanut Butter and Banana Roll-Ups
5. Apple, Pumpkin and Zucchini Whole-Wheat Muffins
6. Grammy Sandwiches (Graham Crackers filled with yogurt and frozen)
7. Sweet Potato Chips
8. The Green Smoothie
9. Chips and Salsa (If your little one can handle chips/dipping)
10. "Ants on a Log" (Celery filled with PB and "dotted" with rasins)

I also really like the idea of making a "nibble tray" for your little one, though we have not tried it with Bennett yet. The main idea is to get an ice tray and fill each little hole with something different for your little one to snack on. That way, he/she may pick and choose what to eat and not be confined to whatever mommy gives for snack time.

Here is what it would look like:

Toddler Meal Post: Cheesy Broccoli Orzo/ Family Update

This week, I have a completely random but totally yummy meal post that actually works for the whole family! A couple of weeks ago, I saw a pin on Pinterest for "Cheesy Broccoli Orzo" that looked fabulous and decided to try it out. As I made my weekly menu, I decided to have it with BBQ Chicken and Grilled Zucchini. Kyle was kind of hesitant to try the orzo (he isnt much for trying new things) but once he tried it, he LOVED it. Bennett too, LOVED it and scarfed every bite I gave him. He even ate the broccoli! :) I guess when you cover veggies in cheese, it makes them 10X better!

 

Cheesy Broccoli Orzo
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
1 cup orzo
1-1/2 cups chopped broccoli florets
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4-1/2 cup 2% milk
salt
Directions:
Add orzo to a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook for 3 minutes then add chopped broccoli and cook for 2 more minutes, or until orzo is tender. Drain well (broccoli florets are notorious for holding onto water) then return to the pot. Add cheeses, butter, and 1/4 cup milk then stir well and add more milk if needed. Season with salt to taste.


In other news, please pray for us as we near the arrival of our baby girl. We only have 7-8 ish weeks left (hopefully) but as of our 3D ultrasound appointment, she was breech. I dont know if I could handle having a late baby after Bennett was 12 days early!!! Im pretty sure I would go crazy! Help us to be confident in God's timing and help us (me) to be patient and to enjoy these last few weeks of being a family of three. Pray the Lord will help me to cherish the time I get to spend with Bennett and Kyle and SLEEP! Pray that God is already preparing us and preparing me to parent a little girl, to have a newborn and a toddler, to loose lots of sleep, etc. Please pray for us too that we will be confident in the Lord's ability to provide and help us to know that He wouldnt give us this child and not provide for her. We still need a few things and we are getting so close, so Im getting nervous. Also, pray that the Lord sends us help for the first few weeks after baby girl's arrival. Im planning on nursing, and I know it will be HARD and stressful (especially with a toddler to look after as well.) I would be forever grateful to have as much help as possible to make learning how to nurse as easy and stress free as possible. I could ask for prayer for so much more, but Im confident that the Lord knows what we need and that those prayers will be answered whether spoken or not.

Harper Elaine (in pictures)

We had our 3D/4D ultrasound done today, and we were so excited to get to see miss Harper! She is happy, active and so precious!



 

Say hello to our beautiful baby girl!

The GREEN Smoothie

Let me tell you about my latest discovery...Bennett, my non-veggie eating child will chug down a spinach smoothie! Im sure it helps that he has yet to associate the color green with veggies, that the smoothie is packed with other yummy things like bananas, pineapple, yogurt...but he really loves it!
I got the idea to make this smoothie initially from Pinterest, and then in my efforts to put a little more fruits and veggies into MY diet, I decided to try it out! It was so funny, as I was making the smoothie the other morning, Bennett wouldnt take his eyes away from what I was doing. He was mesmerized by my placing things into the blender and blending them. After I had finished making my smoothie, I sat down to breakfast and began to eat. I tried my smoothie (it was really good) and by that time, Bennett had decided he needed some of his own so I let him have a drink of mine and immediately after, he started moving his hands excitedly wanting more. I poured some into a sippy cup for him and he drank it all within just a couple minutes!
Now mommies, I know that you are thinking what I thought at first..."there is NO WAY my child will even drink this, let alone like it!" But I think its worth a try and even if your little one doesnt have a taste for it, maybe you will like it and it will help you get a little extra fruit and veggies into your diet!

Here is the recipe:

2 handfulls of spinach
2 bananas
1 cup of chunk pineapple
1/2 cup strawberries
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup water

Put your water and yogurt into the blender first, then the fruit, then the spinach. You want to blend this for a long time so there arent ribbons of spinach in the smoothie and its fine enough for your little one to drink through a sippy cup. Also, I dont like my smoothies not "frozen," so I freeze the pineapple or strawberries so the smoothie is thicker. If you do this, make sure to mix the smoothie with some milk for your little one so its thin enough to drink through a sippy.

 

 

When your finished, you have this yummy smoothie for you and your little one to enjoy! Hope you like it! 

busy, busy, busy..

Kyle's semester officially started Thursday along with MDO. As he was listing the things he has to do for each of his (online) classes last night, all I could think was "this semester is going to be BUSY!" Not only is Kyle taking 6 hours of grad school, but I'm taking "Wife of the Equipping Minister," which is a class specifically designed for women who are going to be pastors wives. Also, Bennett and I are doing MOPS (mothers of preschoolers), and Kindermusic as well. So...Tuesday evenings, Bennett gets to hang out with daddy while mommy goes to class, Wednesday afternoons are going to be filled with alternating weeks of MOPS and Kindermusic, and Thursdays will consist of MDO for Bennett and cleaning for mommy!
Bennett had a rough first day at MDO...when I picked him up he had been crying for at least an hour. I got to the school at 12:30, and his teachers said he had been crying since lunch. It was so stinking sad. As I got to his classroom, I could hear a child crying, but never thought it could be him. I walked in, and saw him laying on a mat in the back of the classroom, just sobbing. Poor baby. I think I'll have to start picking him up earlier than 12:30. He cried all the way home, all the way to our front door, through changing his diaper and finally calmed down when I sat down in the rocking chair with him. I snuggled him and rocked him, and he was out in two minutes. Poor guy just isn't used to staying up that late!
I'll have to say, I think this class I'm taking is going to be rather interesting. Two of my friends, Rebekah and Anna are going to take it with me as well, and another woman, Sarah is taking the class too. Being in class with these women is going to be great! I have come to really trust/love all of them as great friends here in the past few weeks/months and Im excited about how God is going to work in our friendships through this experience. I've been reading through our "textbook" for the class and I'll admit, a lot of it makes me want to burst out laughing. (Just picture...tea cozies, napkin rings, candles for mood lighting...just some of the necessities for making your home hospitable as a ministers wife.) Needless to say, it should be fun!
For those of you that don't know what Kindermusic is, it's more or less a program that allows preschoolers to experiment with musical instruments, dance to music, ect. Research has proven that music enhances learning, so I'm all for taking Bennett! It should be fun for him as well...he is such a musically inclined toddler. Any time someone sings to him or plays music he claps his hands and dances. It's just the cutest thing! It should be a fun experience for the both of us and will allow Kyle some homework time without interruptions.
I am so excited about MOPS! It's going to be great to meet more women that have children around the same age as Bennett and to hopefully make new friends at our church. I have always wanted to be involved in a group like this since we arrived in Fort Worth. Our mommy/wives Bible study in Stillwater was such a blessing to me and it has been very important to me to find something similar here. MOPS was out for the summer though, so I'm just not getting the opportunity to join up. I'm really excited too about meeting other women that are expecting, and even more so to meet other women that are expecting their second or third child. I know they will be such a huge help and soundboard when it comes to getting used to having two little ones.

Bennett's First Day of "School"

Today was Bennett's first day back to Mothers Day Out. All this week I have thought about what Im going to pack him for lunch, what he is going to wear, what lunchbox Im going to buy, how/if Im going to fix his hair...my mind has literally been consumed with the details of our baby boy going back to "school."
As Bennett woke up this morning, my first thought was whether or not he would be upset when I dropped him off. I got him out of bed, changed his diaper, gave him a big first day of school breakfast, (Mini ham and spinach fritattas, strawberries, a carrot and apple oatmeal muffin and milk) and then dressed him for the day. He even got to wear his new big boy shoes from Nana Sherrie. After Bennett was dressed, hair fixed, lunchbox packed, diaper bag packed, and ready for school, momma got ready too and we headed out the door.

After I pulled into the parking lot and got Bennett out of his seat, he scraped his knee walking to the building. :( I picked him up, loved on him and then he immediately wanted back down to walk. We walked into the building, into his classroom, and he went straight over to play with his teacher. (That made for a sad mommy) I grabbed him up, he gave me hugs and kisses and then wanted down again to play. I snapped a few pictures and left.

Now begins my day of cleaning, laundry, and hopefully taking a nap.

Apple, Carrot and Zucchini Muffins

How many of you are on the "my child won't eat his/her veggies train?" There have been many people comment to me about my last post saying "WOW, Bennett will eat spinach??? My child won't touch his/her veggies!" Let me tell you that the quest to get Bennett to eat his veggies has been a rollercoaster and has recently been on the downhill slope. When Bennett was an infant he LOVED sweet potato, carrots, turnips, zucchini, etc. But now, he won't have anything to do with the majority of vegtables offered at mealtime. His lack of interest in his veggies got me thinking..."how can I make sure Bennett gets his veggies and still offer veggies at the same time (though he won't eat them)? My solution: find as many recipes as I can that essentially "hide veggies" in them but are still yummy and appealing to a toddlers eye. I like recipes where veggies can be exchanged for one another, and better yet, recipes that contain two or more veggies and fruit as well. That's why I was super excited when I came across this recipe for Apple, Carrot, Zucchini Muffins! Not only does Bennett LOVE any kind of "bread" you put in front of him, but he is getting FOUR different food groups in just one muffin! (Grain, Protien, Fruit and Vegtables) Another great thing about these muffins is that they can be frozen as well! The recipe makes 22 regular sized muffins and would make twice that in mini muffins. I encourage you to give it a try! Making sure your little one gets all the nutrients he/she needs isnt easy, but with a little planning, preparing, and a little help from your spouse/significant other (yes, daddy has to watch the babies while mommy cooks :)) your little one will be getting his fruits AND veggies and begging for another muffin!

Here is the recipe:

Zucchini, Carrot and Apple Muffins
adapted slightly from Amy's Bread, NYC
print recipe

3 cups flour
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetened coconut
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups peeled grated carrots
2 cups zucchini, unpeeled
2 cups granny smith apples, grated
3/4 cup walnut pieces, or 3/4 cup golden raisins or both

Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins.
In large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, coconut, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder, whisk together.
In another medium size bowl, whisk eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add grated carrots, zucchini and apples. Stir together, until all fruit and vegetables are mixed well.
pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients all at once. Fold until all incorporated. Fold in nuts and raisins if using. The batter will be very thick.
Scoop the batter into greased muffin pan using a large cookie scoop. Or use a large spoon or measuring cup. Fill the muffin tins almost to the top to insure full, rounded muffin tops.
Bake at 400 for ten minutes, lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 6 minutes. Check the muffins by inserting a toothpick in center, if it comes out clean, muffin is done.
Leave the muffin in the tin for about ten minutes, then loosen edges with a butter knife and remove from pan to cool.

Tips:
-I used unpeeled, cored Macintosh apples.
-I did not add the nuts or golden raisins! Im still a bit freaked out about nut allergies..
-The original recipe calls for 12 large muffins. I thought the muffins would be too big as a large muffin, especially since these are dense, filling muffins. I baked the muffins in regular size muffin tins. The recipe yielded about 22 regular size muffins.
-Since I did not make the muffins into 12 large muffins, I cut the baking time. The original recipe calls for 400 degrees- ten minutes, rotate the pan, lower temperature to 350, then bake for an additional 22-25 minutes. Maybe this was a misprint? That would total at least 32 minutes. Way too long. My muffins were done baking in 16 minutes flat.
-Super moist. Great texture. These freeze well.

Toddler Meal Ideas

I have been thinking about doing a weekly/biweekly post with toddler meal ideas for friends of mine that have toddlers or little ones that will soon be toddlers. You should know, I try very hard to feed Bennett food that is wholesome, yummy and packed with nutrients. It is very important to me that my child get everything he needs during the day to make him healthy and strong because he cannot do this himself. If Bennett were allowed to pick his foods, I can guarantee he would eat Birthday cake all day long!
I have this theory/thought process that really presses on me daily, and that is: Bennett doesnt have the ability to make the right decisions when it comes to healthy eating, so its my job to make sure that he eat as healthy as possible. Now, that doesnt mean that I dont allow him to have a bite of apple crisp or a taste of ice cream every once in a while, but its always in moderation. Only Kyle and I have the ability to give Bennett a head start in life when it comes to eating healthy and making the right food choices for his growing body. I have made a point to make sure that our families know that I do not want our son having candy, cake, cookies, ect. on a regular basis, and I do not want him having pop at all! Our niece and nephew drink pop all the time and it drives me crazy! Not only is it not healthy for them, but it sets them up to have a preference for a drink with no nutritional value and empty calories!
Anywho, here is my toddler meal recipe for the week: Ham and Spinach Mini Frittatas. The great thing about these little guys is that you can personalize them any way you wish! We put ham, green onions and cheese in Bennetts and he eats them up! They can also be refrigerated for up to a week, so they are awesome to make a week in advance and you have a quick and healthy staple food that you can serve with some fruit and a quarter slice of whole wheat toast for a yummy and healthy breakfast that will get your little one started off right for the day! 

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray
• 8 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces thinly sliced ham, chopped
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray 2 mini muffin tins (each with 24 cups) with nonstick spray. Whisk the eggs, milk, pepper, and salt in a large bowl to blend well. Stir in the ham, cheese, and parsley. Fill prepared muffin cups almost to the top with the egg mixture. Bake until the egg mixture puffs and is just set in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittatas from the muffin cups and slide the frittatas onto a platter. Serve immediately.

Per piece (40): Calories: 22; Total Fat: 1.5 grams; Saturated Fat: 0.5 grams; Protein: 2 grams; Total carbohydrates: 0.5 grams; Sugar: 0 grams; Fiber: 0 grams; Cholesterol: 44 milligrams; Sodium: 68 milligrams

***Side Note***
You do not have to stick to the recipe specifically. For example, I basically picked up eggs, cheese, frozen spinach, ham and green onions from the store, thawed the spinach, cut up the ham and then placed some of the ham, some of the onions and some cheese in a greased mini muffin tin, then poured the seasoned eggs on top of them. I only used 4 eggs, omitted the milk and it made 12 mini frittatas.

Recipe found at foodnetwork.com

Happy Birthday to Bennett!!!

Bennett's birthday weekend was fabulous! We drove back to OK on Wednesday, spent the afternoon with Kyle's family and the evening with my parents. On Thursday, we spent the day with Kyle's family again, and the evening was spent surprising a good friend of ours for his birthday! Friday began the birthday festivities! We took Bennett to Pryor early Friday morning to have his one year/cake smash pictures done by Kyle's cousin Kristy Troyer. (She is the same photographer that did our wedding, and she does a great job!) We left my parents house at 7:15 to be in Pryor by 8, but had to stop at Walmart to pick up Bennett's cake. Ill have to admit, I was a bit disappointed by Walmart's "effort" on his cake, but when it came time for pictures, the cake wasnt the star anyways. Kristy took some pictures of Bennett before the smash:

during the smash:

and after the smash, but we dont have those yet! The experience was one that Ill never forget. Bennett had no hesitation when it came to his birthday cake although, he didnt like the icing much at first. He stuck his hands in the cake, pulled them back and tried to shake the icing off his fingers. It was stinking cute! His birthday party was wonderful too. I think all together, we probably had 30 people show up to share in his special day. Here are some pictures from it:

Monster cake, cupcakes, cookies and fruit kabobs!

Opening presents!

With cousins, Nathan and Lily!

Devouring his birthday cake!

AND>>>>Here is the after birthday party pic: