7 Months-4th of July Edition






A photo collage in her 4th of the July themed 7 month onesie

Nicknames:  Kendall Wendell, Pooka Poo, Pretty Girl, Poo Poo, Juicy, Thick'ems, and Miss Kendall

Age:  7 months (June 27th)

Weight:  13lbs 2oz

Diapers:  Size 2

Clothes:  3-6 months and 6 months

Food:  At least 4.5 oz bottles of milk plus rice cereal and baby food.  Her favorite baby food is apple strawberry banana, and her least favorite is broccoli and cheese.  I actually thought the broccoli and cheese smelled good, but Kendall must not think it tastes good.

Teeth:  No teeth yet, but she's drooling all over the place, and loves to chew on her fingers and anything else she can get a hold of.

Development:  Kendall can hold her head up very well now.  She can sit up by herself for a few seconds.  She can roll over from stomach to back, find her pacifier in the bed with her sometimes, and scoot a little (she has the leg part down but not the arms).  She can also make a new cooing sound that resembles the "C" or "K" sound.  She also will laugh sometime which is the cutest thing ever.  She grabs toys and brings them to her also.  She sits in her Bumbo seat longer and plays with her toys.

New activities:  We are official church goers again because Kendall does so well in church.  She loves the drums and when the preacher speak into the microphone.  The loud noises startle her at first but she becomes fasinated afterwards.  Kendall and I have even started going to Wednesdays noon day service at church, and she behaves so well then too.  We can even go out to eat with her.  She is definitely our road dog! (ha)

Likes:  Taking baths, taking naps with mommy and daddy, getting kisses,  listening to music, chewing on everything, pear juice, any sweet foods, rolling over, cooing/babbling/talking, the new Fisher Price apps on my phone, and cartoons.

Dislikes:  Being in the dark and alone, broccoli and cheese baby food, lying on her stomach for too long, and waiting too long for her bottle

That's My Song!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is my song!  It really inspires me to do just what the words say...."Go get your blessing!"  This song really speaks to my soul.  I just love it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADGnIi9KrLQ

Stuffed Bell Peppers-Monday Night Dinner

This was dinner Monday night.  It was oh so yummy!  I looked over several stuffed bell pepper recipes and kind of just came up with my own thing.  I must say it again, Very Yummy!

Chicken Breasts

4 green bell peppers

2 cups of brown rice

1/2 onion

1/2 a container of mushrooms

1 can of cream of mushroom

6 strips of bacon

shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cook the bacon in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes.  Set bacon aside.  Leave oven at 400 degrees. 

Boil brown rice and follow directions as on package.  Set rice aside.

Season about 5 chicken breasts strips to your liking.  I used garlic powder, onion powder, Mrs. Dash Tableblend, and a little cayenne pepper.  Place the chicken breasts in a foil lined dish.  Spread the cream of mushroom over the chicken breasts and put in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.  While that is cooking, cut the caps off of the 4 bell peppers.  Set the tops aside to use in the mixture.  Discard of the seeds in the bell pepper.  Chop the mushrooms.  Dice the onion and bell pepper in a chopper.  Saute' the mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper in about 1/4 of a stick of butter. 

In a medium size bowl, cut up the chicken breasts after they are done.  Add the onion, mushrooms, and bell peppers.  Add all of the cream of mushroom from the dish that the chicken cooked in.  Then add the rice.  Mix together and add any extra seasonings to taste.

Scoop the mixture into the empty bell peppers.  I placed my bell peppers in an 8x8 dish, so they are kind of close together.  Cook them for 20 minutes.  Then take them out, sprinkle cheddar cheese, and cook an additional 5 minutes. 

Voila!  Enjoy!

Naptime

Kendall and Wendell taking an afternoon nap this past weekend.  So cute!

Happy Father's Day

Today marks Scott's first Father's Day.  We started off the day with church.  We then had Father's day lunch at Texas Roadhouse.  Kendall and I put together a Father's Day basket for Scott.  The main gift in it was an arts and craft gift for Scott's desk at work.  It's a picture frame with Kendall in an " I Love Dad" onesie and another picture with imprints of her hands and it says Happy Father's Day 2012.  Scott just loved it.  I think he could have gotten that and been just fine...lol  The basket also included some Nike t-shirts and ankle socks (some 'around the house' wear), house shoes, and a little spirit for after work drinks and night caps (ha!)  Scott said this was the best Father's Day ever....very funny speaking that it's his first (lol). 

On a serious note, I am very thankful that Scott is such a great father.  Kendall's face just lights up when she sees him.  I thank God for Scott and just love his drive to be the best father for Kendall.  Happy Father's Day, Babe!

Kendall and Wendell after church. 

The whole family-the 3 Amigos

Father's Day Basket

Kendall's first arts and craft project for daddy's desk at work

 

Two different looks from Miss

Kendall.  You can't help but love

her to pieces!  Just adorable!

Kendall hanging out with the girls from Hooters

Kendall, Scott, and I went to Hooters for lunch yesterday. While we were there, Kendall took advantage of a photo op with the Hooters girls. I think Miss Kendall enjoyed hanging out with them.

Picture taken with Iphone

6 Months and counting.........

Nicknames:  Pooka Poo, Kendall Wendell, Belly, and Juicy

Weight:  12lbs 10oz (this is her weight from her 6 month appointment)

Length:  21 3/4in

Milestones:  Kendall can hold up her own head.  She can also smile, make the sounds such as "yeah" and "gee."  We are working on her saying mama and dada.  She smiles all the time and can even scoot a little.  She is now on rice cereal and baby food.  She likes pears, applesauce, and sweet potatoes.

Likes:  She loves music, cartoons, chewing on her fingers, mommy and daddy kissing her at the same time, and kicking her legs.

Dislikes:  She doesn't like being in the dark, being alone, and having socks on her feet.

Pecan Pie Bars

I recently made these pecan pie bars, and I must say that they turned out very well.  I was a little skeptical that they wouldn't turn out right, but they did.  This will be an easy dessert to wip up when I need my pecan pie fix.  The recipe is listed below.

Pecan Pie Bars


adapted from Allrecipes

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup unsalted butter, cold (10 2/3 Tablespoons)

Filling:

3 eggs

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 2/3 cups chopped pecans



1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9X13 baking dish with heavy foil and spray with cooking spray.



2.In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. Cut in 2/3 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You can use a pastry blender or just two knives. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the prepared pan, and press in firmly.



3.Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.



4.While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. In a large bowl mix together the eggs, corn syrup, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons margarine, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the chopped pecans. Spread the filling evenly over the crust as soon as it comes out of the oven.



5.Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until set. I usually like things on the rare side and a little gooey but these you want cooked all the way through so make sure the middle is set. If the top starts getting to browned cover with aluminum foil.



6.Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing into bars with a sharp knife.

Having Fun at 31

Saturday, June 9th, was my 31st birthday.  I must say it was a great day.  My goddaughter, Carrigan, had her 4th birthday party, so of course we went to that.  Scott made it a point to cook for me all day.  Kendall gave me big smiles all day and little kisses.  I also got phone calls, texts, birthday cards, and lots of bday wishes from friends and family.  I am very thankful for 31 years of life and look forward for more to come.

Miss Kendall at Carrigan's Minnie Mouse themed birthday party with her Minnie Mouse ears on.  Just a cutie pie!

My birthday breakfast cooked by my wonderful hubby.  Blueberry pancakes with bacon.  Super Yum!

This is my birthday dinner that Scott cooked.  A yummy steak with twice baked potatoes and a strawberry/walnut salad.  Very delish!

Pretty in Pink and Green

Here's a picture of Kendall and I after church.  Kendall did really good in church.  She just loves all the music and the voices on the microphones.  Kendall just looks so cute in her little dress....oh yeah, I'm biased!  (LOL)  It's really important to us that Kendall attends church and learns about Jesus, so we are really glad that she does well  in church.

My Style-What to Wear

The new style this summer is colored jeans.  I thought it was a cute style, so I tried a pair.  I really love the skinny jean look.  I mean skinny jeans are easy to dress up or down.  Any who, I noticed that stores usually couple white shirts with colored jeans, so that is what I was looking for to go with mine.  I just lucked up on this shirt to go with these turquoise skinny jeans, which I thought added a little "umph" as opposed to a white shirt.  It was very comfortable weekend outfit, and has inspired me to try more colored skinny jeans outfits. 

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."