Is Black the new Pink?

This is Kenni Girl in her Jordan onesie and cap.  She has on Jordan socks too that just so happen to not be pictured.  Any who, her Uncle Ced did a little shopping for her, and got this cute "all black everything" outfit.  Yes, its intended for a boy, but Miss Kendall can wear anything and make it look good.  I mean, isn't black the new pink?  We thought she looked so cute.  As you can see, Kendall thinks she looks cute too.  We just love her little happy self to pieces.

Burger King vs McDonald's: Mickey D's Wins

May 26th-May 28th, Burger King had a promotion where their strawberry banana and tropical mango smoothies were only $1.  So we took advantage and tried them.  I have one word for you....GROSS!  I was thinking, " how in the world can you mess up a smoothie?"  Well, Burger King definitly has the answer to that question.  If you want a fast food smoothie, go to McDonald's and get the wild berry smoothie.  It waaaaaaaaaaay better that Burger King's by far.

Grillin'

This past Saturday, Scott and I grilled some yummy food.  Scott grilled chicken wings for the first time, and they were oh so yummy!  I also made a lemon cake and made a glaze to put on it.  That also turned out well.  Here are some pictures below.  We also had steak, hamburgers, smoke sausage, mushrooms, baked beans, and corn on the cob.  After eating all this food, all I could say was....Naptime!

The "Party in your Mouth" wings

Glazed Lemon Cake

Miss Kendall sleeping while we were grilling and cooking.  So cute!

Happy Mother's Day

Today is my first mother's day, and it was great.  First of all, all of us went to church together as a family for the very first time.  Kendall did so well.  She was awake the whole time, and just taking it all in.  She was so cute just looking all around.  Afterwards, we ate lunch at Texas Roadhouse.  She slept most of the time.  She woke up just when we were about to leave.  Then we went to Babies'R'Us for just a quick minute.  We had been talking about getting Kenni's ears pierced, so what better day than today.  We took off to the mall and got it done at Claire's.  When the first ear was done, Kenni didn't cry at all.  Now when the second ear was done, she cried bloody murder for about 10 seconds.  All in all, she did so well, and she looks so cute  with her new earrings

Today was a great mother's day. I thank God for today, and I look forward to many more to come!

My adorable baby girl up close and personal

Kendall's little dress....so cute!

Kendall laughing....I just love that toothless smile!

Mother to Mother

These are flowers that were delivered to me from none other than my mommy.  I was so surprised.  The card said "Happy First Mother's Day from Kendall and Nana."  This just made my day.  Just to think that my mom thought of me just really touched my heart.  Being that this is my first mother's day and thinking about the long road to get Kendall here just made these flowers from my mom that much more special.  Thank you mama for just being you!

Playmates

This is a picture taken at the first birthday party that Kendall has attended.  Maddox Turner (not pictured) turned 2.  Here are two of Kendall's future playmates.  From left to right:  Devae and Baby Kassidy, Me and Baby Kendall, and Telischa and Baby Chelsea.  Sorry that the picture is so dark....it was taken with an Iphone.

Push Gift

I have been meaning to post this for some time.  When I was in the hospital on bedrest before Kendall was born, Scott presented me with a push gift the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  I absolutely love it!  The center diamond in the middle represents Kendall.  The inner loop around the center diamond represents me.  The larger loop around everything represents Scott.  I love the meaning!  I thought it was so sweet of Scott to give me this gift at such a trying time in our lives.  I will definitely have to sit down and tell her the story of her arrival once she gets old enough to understand.

Another Hit!

Ingredients



•5 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed


•3/4 cup sour cream


•1/2 cup milk


•3 tablespoons butter


•Salt and pepper to taste


•3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese blend, divided


•1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled


•3 green onions, sliced


Directions


•Place potatoes in a Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add the sour cream, milk, butter, salt and pepper. Beat on medium-low speed until light and fluffy. Stir in 2 cups cheese, bacon and onions.


•Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 14 servings.

Note:  I was only making this for Scott and I, so I reduced the recipe quite a bit. 

My Guilty Pleasure

I absolutely loooooooooooooooooove this show!  I anticipate it every Thursday.  I mean, it has so much suspense and drama.  I just love it!  Check it out if you haven't already.

Look Who's 5 Months!

Nicknames:  Pooka Poo and Poo Poo

5 months when?  April 27th

Weight:  10lbs 10.5oz

Milestones:  Smiles all the time, can hold her head up better, can roll over from stomach to back, and coos all the time.  When she coos, it sounds like she is saying "yeah" and the "g" sound.

Diaper size:  size 1

Clothes size:  0-3 months

Milk Amount:  4-5 oz

Likes:  Kendall likes to smile all the time, play on her activity center, lie on mama and daddy, and take baths

Dislikes:  Kendall doesn't like her swing as much as she use to, the dark, or to be alone

Yummy Goodness

I recently made these two new recipes, and they both turned out oh so yummy!  I just had to share.  Please enjoy!!!!!!!

Chipotle Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chipotle powder ( I used the juice from a can of actual chipotle peppers.  I also cut up some of the peppers and added that to the marinade.
1 lime, juice and zest


1. Mix the chipotle powder, cumin, brown sugar, lime zest, lime juice and cilantro in a bowl and and let marinate for 20 minutes.


2. Skewer the shrimp.  I skewed some of the peppers from the marinade along with the shrimp.


3. Oil up the grill and grill the shrimp until cooked (pink and opaque), about 2-3 minutes per side.

Classic Sangria

Ingredients:

1  750ml bottle of red wine (we used caberet sauvignon)

1  orange sliced

1  lemon sliced

1  lime sliced

3 tablespoons of sugar

2 shots of brandy (you can use more shots of brandy dependent on your preference)

1 2 liter of ginger ale

Ice

Mix the first 6 ingredients and let chill for at least 2 hours.  Add the ginger ale and ice when ready to serve.

Happy Easter

I know that this post is a little late, but here is Kendall celebrating her first Easter.  Here ya go!

I just love this picture.  She is just sooooooo cute!

Kendall's Easter basket includes two Seasame Street books, bunny ears, a bunny rabbit, and a princess wand.

Loving Motherhood

Mother:  Christian

 

Daughter:  Kendall Grace

 

Maternity Leave:  Well, I am indefinitely on maternity leave...lol  My job decided not to hold my position since I was off work on hospital bedrest before Kendall was born and then was required to be off after she came home.  I hadn't been in the position a year, so my job wasn't protected by FMLA.  So I am an official SAHM....Stay At Home Mom.  When Kendall was able to finally come home, I knew that God had worked out this whole situation.  I absolutely love being able to stay at home with her. Waking up and seeing those big brown eyes every morning makes me know that all that we have been through has totallly been worth it.  Thank you God for this gift.

Weight Loss/Weight Gain:  When I was admitted to the hospital, I was 128lbs.  Now I am 105lbs.  I've started doing a little workout during the week to tone, but no true dieting or working out to lose weight. 

Adjustment to motherhood:  My biggest adjustment was going with little sleep.  When Kendall first came home, she definitely had be going.  Once I was able to get her on a schedule, I was able to do other things during the day like prepare her bottles and clean around the house.

Any mommy time alone with daddy:  We haven't had a date night, but we aren't actually ready for one yet.  I don't think we want to leave her alone without one of us just yet.  When Kendall is asleep, we do take time to watch a movie together or just talk.  Those times are nice, but usually one of us ends up holding the baby during that time (smile). 

Best part of motherhood:  Seeing those big brown eyes looking up at me and then she smiles back like, "Mama, what's shaking?"  I just love seeing her toothless smile and those big, pretty eyes.

Least liked part of motherhood:  Knowing that one day I will have to take her to daycare and leave her.  I try not to think about that though since it will be awhile before I have to entertain that thought. 

Spring Looks

Being that spring started this past Tuesday, I wanted to start getting some spring/summer looks together.  I just love the following looks below.  I plan on experimenting with some nail polishes this season.  I love wedge sandals and flat, comfy shoes, and I just adore a flip flop.  It's just crazy to me that the weather has been so warm, and it's March.  I'm just loving it.  Any who, check me out below!

Tuesday with Sleeping Beauty

Zodiac Sign:  Sagittarius-characteristics include freedom loving, optimistic, honest, has sense of adventure and love of life, generous, fun-loving, and big-hearted

Milestones:  has slept all the way through the night the past 3 nights and can hold her head up a little longer

New Nicknames:  Pooka Poo

Anything else new:  started watching Sprout tv during the day and seems to like it.  Sprout tv is a channel that has children's shows on it like Sesame Street.



Funday Friday

Here are just some pics of Kenni Girl that I took today.  She's so funny and cute....

"Ok Mama, I'm looking for you, but I can't see you."  "Where are you?"

"Yes, I want my diaper changed!"

"I feel so much better in this new diaper"

"I'm Out!"  "I'll be up in about 45 minutes."

Project "Spring Clean"

It's not officially Spring, but I plan to clean our house from top to bottom in the month of March.  I cleaned up this weekend, but there are some things that have a tendency to get neglected throughout the year.  Below is my schedule of cleaning for the remainder of March:

Week of March 11th:  Clean all baseboards and ceiling fans in the house.  Dust all pictures, figurines, vases, and any other decorative stuff.

Week of March 18th:  Clean out all closets and bathroom and kitchen cabinets.  I am pretty sure we will 
have some donations for the Goodwill after this tasks

Week of March 25th:  Clean out the refrigerator, pantry, and all trashcans.  I will be using the "when in doubt, throw it out" philosophy...ha!

My plan is to keep our house clean despite having a new baby girl that makes it a little more difficult.  I see that it's so easy to let all the baby toys and stuff consume your house, but I plan to keep our house presentable on a daily basis.  It just makes it easier to maintain a clean house rather than having to clean the whole house at one time.  I hope my plan works!  Time will tell.

Terrific Tuesday-All About Kendall

"Hello, What's Shaking?"

"Yep, I'm just chilling!"

Full Name:  Kendall Grace

Nicknames:  Kenni, Kenni Girl, Pretty Girl, Gracie, Sweet Pea, Put, Put Put, Pooka, and the list goes on and on....

Age:  3 months

Weight: 7lbs 2oz

Diapers:  size Newborn

Clothes: Newborn....some newborn clothes are a little big on me, but I am filling them out as each day goes by.

Feedings:  eats every 3 or so hours.

Nap time:  I take a short morning nap after my first morning feeding and then a longer 2-3 hour nap after lunch.  This gives my mommy time to get my bottles together and to handle things done around the house. 

Sleeping through the Night:  Yes, for the most part.  I wake up for one feeding around 2am to 3am, then I'm out.

Pack n Play vs Crib:  I definitely like my crib better, but I sleep in my pack n play at night in my mommy and daddy's room

Likes:  Warm milk, my soothie pacifiers, stretching, taking naps during the day in my crib, being walked around, being held, lying on my stomach, and lying on my mommy and daddy's chest

Dislikes:  Getting changed into clothes, being hungry, waiting on my milk to get warm, lying on my back, and dropping my paci

Milestones:  Can turnover from my stomach to my back and trying to hold the bottle during feedings (so cute when she's really hungry)

Baby Must Haves.....

I originally thought this stuff was just a gimmick, but it does work sometimes.  I mean, I can't say it works every night, but it does relax Kendall at times.  Plus it smells so good!  We will definitely have to keep this in stock.

These bottles really helped Kendall when she was in the hospital and learning how to suck, swallow, and breathe while feeding.  The nipple imitates the breast, so babies take to them well.  Kendall just loves them and drinks all her milk for the most part with these bottles.  We wouldn't use anything else.

This is a soothie pacifier by Playtex.  Kendall started using these in the NICU.  The ones at the hospital smelled like vanilla, but they don't sell the scented ones in the stores.  Any who, Kendall still likes it without the vanilla scent.  This definitely comes in handy.

We recently got this boucer, and let's just say it wasn't Kendall's fave.  She has grown to tolerate it a little bit more.  Those times when I need to put her down to do something, she usually settles down and enjoys the bouncing motion.  A great find!!!!!!!!!!!

Something New

I just love this picture. I think it's just so cute.  This is the first time that I put a handband on Kenni.  As you can see, she doesn't exactly love it, but she got use to it. Oh yeah, baby girl is 3 months old today.  Look at God! 

Baby Shower

Our baby shower was January 7th.  It was hosted by my friends Yolanda, Brandi, Telischa, Tangela, and Devae.  It turned out so nice.  The food was delicious, and the decorations were awesome. I loved the color scheme of pink and grey. Scott and I were so appreciative of all the gifts and to those who came out to support us.  Here are some pictures from the shower:

This is a cake that my friend, Brandi, did.  The theme was "Simply Grace," and this cake went with the decor perfectly.  The cake was lemon with raspberry filling and chocolate with chocolate and raspberry filling.  It was oh so yummy.  If you are interested in a wonderful cake creation, you can see her work and contact her at www.facebook.com/sweetexposurecakes

Diaper cakes/decor for the tables

This is the food table.  The menu included sliced pork, chicken wings, pasta salad, crab salad, spinach dip, fruit, fruit salsa with cinnamon chips, vegetables with dip, rolls, crackers, tea, and punch

Scott, my mama, and me

Shatoria and Christina with Christina's 2 daughters

Jazmin and Teresa

Valencia and Frank

Visa and Damiah

Porsche and Kelvin

Ms. Lou

Robert and Baby Chelsea

Tevia and Cory