It is the simple things...

Hunter experienced his first Christmas this past weekend. As I probably have said before, everything Hunter is learning and experiencing is more exciting for me then it probably is for him! I took so many pictures of him opening his presents and of course his stocking. Santa did not forget my 5 1/2 month old! When we made it to my parent's house, which was our last Christmas of the weekend, he loved their tree. He loves all Christmas trees but as I was helping him stand in front of it I couldn't help but notice how he just stared at the lights on the tree and felt the branches. Can you imagine how different the branches must free compared to all his soft, fuzzy clothes and blankets? Everything he is learning, I learned too. I once felt all these different textures and saw all these new things. It doesn't take much to make a baby happy. Heck, the other day I gave Hunter a water bottle and you would think he won the lottery! As we were spending time with our families over the weekend, I once again was hit with reality at how fast life can change and how precious the time is that we share with our loved ones. We never know what is going to tomorrow or even an hour from now, but we have those memories that eventually fade a little more everyday, but we never lose the feelings we had when we were with the people we love. Christmas is a magical time and I think that having a baby around makes you realize how much magic there really is. You get to live like a child again. I wish I could look at life like Hunter does. I wish I could see everything for the first time again. I think I would be much more appreciated. Hunter teaches me more then I think I teach him. 

Hunter opening his first tractor! 

I made three desserts for Christmas and I think they were a great hit. I made a cheesecake and was pretty nervous about how it would turn out, but I thought it was pretty good for a first time! Cheesecake is kind of confusing because the middle isn't suppose to be completely firm, but it turned out great. I also made reindeer cookies and santa hats. 

Reindeer cookies!

Santa hats!

White Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

Now, it's time to get back into the swing of things. Pick up the house, find places for all the gifts we received, and start the weekly meal planning again. Gosh, when you get off your regular schedule it is very hard to get back on. I have to find time to run this week. The weather here for December has been super mild and I need to get in a couple runs soon. I miss those roads, or well, sidewalks. Hunter is sleeping in his swing so I should take advantage of this quiet time and get some things accomplished. 

Hanging out in his Fisher Price swing. This thing has been a lifesaver!

Until next time...between diapers and miles.

I did it!

My first batch of sweet potatoes! 

Last night I made my first batch of baby food. I made about 13 ounces of sweet potatoes for little Huntman. I am pretty proud of myself! It was so much easier then I thought it would be. I am definitely interested in making more veggies and fruits for this little guy. The new food processor we got is amazing! However, last night when Hunter was in his high chair and I turned the food processor on turned out to be a horrible idea. Hunter DOES NOT like the noise! I turned it off, looked at him, and he immediately turned his mouth into a frown and started to cry. I put him in the other room, but the noise still made him upset. I'm hoping that he will soon get used to it or maybe next time I'll have to put him upstairs in his crib. We will see! I recommend every mommy at least TRY to make their own baby food. I think you will be surprised at how easy it is! I didn't use a specific recipe. I just did some research and put all my information together and BAM! I peeled and cut up the sweet potato and put it in a sauce pan and barely covered it with water. I boiled/steamed it until the potato was soft. I didn't time it because Hunter and I were dancing around the kitchen! Opps! After the potato was soft and I could mash it with my spoon, I put it in the food processor and mixed it until smooth. I added the left over water that was in the sauce pan when I boiled/steamed the sweet potato into the processor. After I had it mixed pretty well, I poured the sweet potato into an ice cube try. Froze it and put the cubes into a freezer bag! Labeled the bag and it was all finished! Success! I am very excited about the other foods I will try. I will definitely keep you all posted on how it works out!

I made the Monterey Chicken last night and it was AMAZING! So easy to make and had great, great flavor. Everyone should make this! I added some green beans and it was a yummy meal! My husband loved it!



Yesterday was a very successful day in the kitchen! I can't wait to try out my Manicotti tonight and see how that turns out!

Oh...Monday...

Everyone always says how much they dislike Mondays. I've never been one to understand that. I'm not going to go out on a limb and say that I LOVE Mondays, but I definitely do not dislike them. I feel like it's a start to the week. If we didn't have Mondays, then Tuesdays would be Mondays. I usually try to do my weekly grocery shopping on Monday mornings since usually it isn't too busy. I enjoy it! I plan out what the meals are for the week and then I buy groceries. I find it really exciting. Haha! Meal planning is interesting to me and takes a lot of stress off. It is nice to know what you are going to make for dinner and already have the ingredients on hand. I hate when it gets to be about 5:30 and I have no clue on what to make. I feel VERY accomplished when I know what we will eat all week! 


I am going to try to make baby food today! Pears and sweet potatoes! We will see how this turns out. I'm not really sure how so if anyone has any advice, let me know. Hunter tried applesauce Saturday and yesterday. He loved it! I think that is how we will finally get him to eat rice cereal. He is not a fan of that, but when I added applesauce to it, he scarfed it down! He's getting so big. Yesterday Ross took him out of the swing and laid him on his tummy on the floor and he was holding himself up and then just rolled from his tummy to his back. It was such a BIG roll! We laughed so hard at his expression while he just laid on the floor and smiled. He is getting a personality that is so sweet and cute. He has to be the funniest little guy I've ever met. Hunter surprises me every single day. 


Last night Ross and I were talking about how we cannot imagine life before Hunter. It is amazing how a child just captures all your emotions and can change every second of your life. The mornings with Hunter are my favorite. This morning when I went in to get him from his crib, I said, "Good morning Hunter!" And the little guy just smiled and got all excited! When he gets excited he makes this little squeak and bunches up into a ball, kind of, and then will kick his legs out really fast. It is so cute. My heart just smiles and feels so warm inside. I look forward to each day with Hunter and learning new things with him. When he learns something, I feel that I'm relearning it again too. I love sharing everything with him. The best thing is experiencing all the FIRSTS with him. 


We will see how today goes with baby food and the first day of meal planning! I should probably get some Christmas shopping and present wrapping done today too! I hope everyone has a great Monday! Tackle it! 


Meals for the Week!
Monday: Monterey Chicken
Tuesday: Manicotti        
Wednesday: Spicy Country Ribs
Thursday: Sweet and Sour Chicken w/Fried Rice
Friday: (we have a party so I don't have to cook dinner!! Yay!) 

My big baby boy! He's getting so big!!! 

....BETWEEN DIAPERS AND MILES....

Time

Sometimes I wonder how I made it to where I am. I think of all the decisions I made to end up where I am. If I would have said "yes" or "no" at one point, I might not be married to who I'm married to and I might not be living where I am. The power of a choice amazes me. I am so thankful that I made the choices I did. I found the most patient man in the world to love me. I'm pretty hard to deal with and somehow he puts up with me and loves me. I couldn't have asked for a better friend to spend the rest of my life with and to have a family with. I remember when I was younger I would dream and dream about the family that I would have and I really don't think I could have ever dreamt that my life and my family would be this good. I love how life just goes, whether you want it to or not. Sometimes, or in my case all the time, I want to freeze moments each day and relive them over and over. I think that is a blessing to have. Each morning when Hunter wakes up, I just want to stop the clock. I just want to stare at his little face and not lose a second. Time has always been an enemy of mine. When I ran track I was always running against a clock. Each second, each minute was a battle. Time keeps us together, ties us to life. Time is all we have.

....BETWEEN DIAPERS AND MILES....

When all else fails...Improvise!!!

Everyday is something new with a baby. Nothing is ever the same as yesterday. He doesn't sleep like he did the night before. He learns how to do something new every single second. He learns new sounds that come out of his mouth. Each time he cries it's never the same as the last cry. Each diaper is a little different...  ;) 


No one tells you how to be a mom. Sure, there's tons and tons of books out there that have a million of "suggestions" about what you SHOULD do, but they are just that, "suggestions." When you give your baby love, food, clothes, clean diapers, baths, and a place to sleep isn't that enough? Some people would say no. "You must educated them!" "Teach them!" Isn't everyday learning enough? Maybe not, maybe so. I think little Hunter learns a lot on his own. He learns things that I can't teach him. Of course, right now he is too young to really understand yes or no. He can't do many things that are "bad." He's a baby! I wonder how long I'll use "he's a baby!" as an excuse for his behavior....probably until he's at least 30. :) Your children will always be your babies no matter how old they are. 


Life is all about learning how to improvise. Nothing ever goes as planned. Not a single day plans out how I want it to. Usually it plays out better than I could have hoped. But, there are always some bumps in the road, road blocks, u-turns...you get the drift. The way we learn to handle unexpected change tells a lot about our character. 


Yesterday, for example, I was making no bake cookies. I realized I didn't have any vanilla (which never happens!). So, I just decide to add some more peanut butter. That isn't really the best substitute, but hey, I like my peanut butter! The cookies were definitely runny and I wasn't sure if they would set up, but they did and they tasted great! I had to improvise. I had to come up with an alternative. When it comes to cooking that doesn't always work out the best however! Haha! 


Everyone should learn how to improvise. Be adventurous. Just act on the spur of the moment. Be spontaneous. Don't be worried if you step in a puddle and your socks get wet. Just take them off and be barefoot! I think that it adds excitement to the everyday life we live. One of the things that I've noticed since I've become a mom is that I act goofy and silly way more now than I did before. Don't get me wrong, I was pretty crazy before, but now I will sing made up songs, dance around and wiggle my arms, and make the most outrageous faces to make this little baby smile. You completely block out the rest of the world when you are a parent. You don't care what you have to do to make your baby smile or laugh. I think I have gotten to know myself better since having a baby. Hunter has definitely made me realize how special and precious life is. 


I wake up everyday and think about what I can do so that Hunter has the best day of his life thus far. Every time he smiles or laughs means that I had the best day of my life. What more could I want besides a happy, healthy baby? 


....BETWEEN DIAPERS AND MILES....

Hanging out with my little guy in his "My First Christmas" hat and Christmas outfit. 

The life of a baby...

Some days I wonder how many seconds a day I stare at little Hunter. I just stare. Especially when he sleeps. The face of a baby is something so innocent. So fresh. So new. Hunter's face is so fresh. Every little smile, every little wrinkle is something that I want to capture forever. His little hands and fingers and toes have so much to discover. So many things to touch and feel and grab. So many miles to walk and run. I just love how innocent he is, his mind is, his body is. 


I love his biggest worry probably doesn't even exist until his tummy starts to growl. I don't think I ever imagined how much a child would need me until he arrived. He relies on me for everything. Food, play, baths, changing his diaper, warmth...the list goes on and on. I remember the first night Ross and I were home with Hunter. It was the middle of the night and Hunter was crying, I was crying, and Ross was standing at the end of the bed and had no idea what to do. I remember saying, "Why did they just send us home with a baby?!" It dawned on me that they send anyone home with a baby. I knew nothing about babies. I had held a newborn once in my life and probably changed a diaper 5 times before Hunter arrived. I was clueless! And then, I was in the outside world, outside of my hospital room that was so safe and so secure and all I had to do was push a button and the nurses were there to answer my questions and to help. It blows my mind. I can imagine how crazy it must be for my parents to see me have a baby to take care of. It is so true that your mother instinct turns on and you just KNOW what to do. I didn't really believe that, but it's definitely true. Your baby knows you and I believe knows the love you have for him. 


We had our first snow of the year and it was Hunter's first snow. Can you imagine what the first snow must look like to someone who has never seen it? Just a big sheet of white outside! I showed Hunter the snow out the window and he just stared and then giggled and smiled. When I think about all his "firsts" it makes me so excited. One of the best things about having a child is being a kid again. And being able to experience everything again. I probably get more excited about Hunter's "firsts" then he does! I think that is just the joy of a parent. 


If only we could all have the mindset of a baby...we would probably enjoy life so much more and worry way less. 


Who knows what's next BETWEEN DIAPERS AND MILES...

Where do you start?

I've always wanted to have a blog so this is going to be my attempt at it. It's so hard to know where to start. You don't want to bore anyone that reads your blog and you want to seem interesting to your readers. That's the great thing about the internet though. If you're on a page that you get bored with, all you have to do is click the little "x" and the page is gone. I guess maybe this blog will be more of a collection of my thoughts and the best part, for me that is, is that all my thoughts are together in one place. Because one thing is for sure...my thoughts aren't always in one place in this head of mine! 


First off, I'll tell you a little about myself if you don't know anything about me already. I grew up in the country around cattle, crops, and pasture. My childhood is probably 3/4 of who I am today and I am proud of that. I ran cross country and track for 2 years in college and loved every single minute of it, even through all the pain. I think people that run will understand this: you get addicted to the pain. It is something that you crave and want more of. I met the love of my life and we had the most precious baby boy. My husband and I are newlyweds and even though it's felt like we were married for a while, when you actually get married things change. I'm still trying to figure out what's changed, but it is different than before. 


The most important things in my life are my baby boy, my husband, my relationship with God, my family, and my friends (in no particular order please note). 


Everyday is a learning experience for me. I'm learning how to be a better mom, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, and a person. This is my account on my journey. My biggest focus is probably on what is best for my little baby! Gosh, there are so many products out there and opinions on what you should and shouldn't do that for a first time mom and in my case, a person who is absolutely clueless on anything that has to do with children, it can be down right confusing and can almost make a person go batty! My little boy is 5 months old now and we got married when he was 3 months. I'm definitely not in the shape that I want to be in, but my lack of motivation is almost nonexistent theses days. I know eventually I will be back to running 10 miles like it's 3 and love every mile of it! For a mom, getting back in shape is harder than you imagine it will be, or maybe you just judge yourself more after a having a baby. 


Regardless, this is or will my blog. Hopefully you'll enjoy and take part in my everyday journey. 


Who knows what is next BETWEEN DIAPERS AND MILES....