Jackson is TWO

On January 31st, Jackson turned TWO!

 He loves his "sis-tur" as he lovingly refers to Ellie

 Cheese!  It's my birthday!

 He put this hat on himself but refused to wear a jacket. We're hitting the "picky days" of toddlerhood!

 TWO

 His sweet teachers at MDO made him this hat.  Andy and I surprised him and took cupcakes (actually, banana bread muffins...I'm trying to present a healthier option!) and candles and sang Happy Birthday. All his little school friends were so cute!

I didn't have the drive, energy, or desire to do a big party for him, and he really doesn't grasp much of the concept of what a birthday actually is.  But this spring, when it's warmer, I'm planning to do a delayed 2nd birthday party.

Another pic from his teacher at MDO.

He finally has hair!  Crazy curls, and crazy yogurt slashed across his face

 Enjoying a rare treat....a cookie!  Not so sure what to make of the sprinkles

 Below, his new way of saying "Cheese!"  Celebrating our friend Will's birthday a few weeks ago.  These sweet boys share the same birthday

 

 

 A few weeks ago we had a crazy little snowstorm. Above pic is 24 hours after the snow stopped. This is about as close as he got to the snow. He had MDO on the day it snowed, and it was blizzard-like conditions (at least, for this Southern girl) when we got home, so we all took naps, and I snapped some iPhone photos from inside the cozy warmth of my home.

Mohawk

Jackson is adjusting well to having a baby sister.  He is always asking where she is, looking for her, making sure she has her pacifier, and wants to hold her on the couch. He will occasionally get upset when I'm holding her and he wants to be held, but other than that minor regression, he's doing well.

He is such a fun, funny, smiling boy, a good eater, loves bath time, loves to spend the night at GiGi and GoGo's, always runs and never walks, and he's really growing in leaps and bounds.  He is finally stringing together words ("Thank you momma" rather than just "Thank you," but it really sounds more like "gank gu"), and he really does understand most of what we say. Jackson is a big help to me in that he can get me diapers, burp cloths, and can occasionally reach things off the kitchen counter. He loves to pray with us a family before he goes to bed, and he snuggles into Andy's chest, hold his lovey, sucks his pacifier, and squeezes his eyes shut really tight. Melts my heart.
He is also starting to sing small bits and pieces of the blessing (we sing "God our Father").

We love this sweet boy so much!  Happy Birthday Jackson!

Ellie at One Month

I can't believe our sweet Ellie is one month old!

Her birth weight was 7 lb 9 oz and at her one week check up she was 7 lb 6 oz.  Today at the pediatrician she weighed 9 lb 5 oz! All those 2 am feedings are paying off! Height was 22 inches, up from the 19 inches she was measured at birth (which I'm wondering if they might have measured her a little short? Growing 3 inches in one month sounds a little off to me.) Regardless, she's happy and healthy! Our pediatrician says she's in 50% for weight and 90% for height.

Enchilada Casserole

While Andy watched a movie with the kids this late afternoon, I quickly made this Southern Living recipe, and it was a hit in our family!

Picture from myrecipes.com

Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon 40%-less-sodium taco seasoning mix (such as Old El Paso)
• 1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 4 (8-inch) whole-wheat flour tortillas
• 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers

Preparation

1. 1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and onion to pan; cook 6 minutes, stirring to crumble.
2. 2. Preheat oven to 400°.
3. 3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add broth, taco seasoning, and tomato sauce to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 1/2 cups tomato mixture to beef mixture; reserve 1/2 cup tomato mixture.
4. 4. Place 1 tortilla in a 9-inch pie plate. Top with 1 cup beef mixture. Repeat layers, ending with tortilla. Spread reserved tomato mixture over tortilla. Top with cheese. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Cool slightly. Cut into 4 wedges.

Vanessa Pruett, Cooking Light
JANUARY 2012

*Note, I added freshly diced tomatoes and one can of drained black beans to add more vegetables to this recipe.  I added it to the sauce after it had boiled.  You can also make this a vegetarian dish by leaving out the ground beef, and I think it would still taste great. 

Meet and Greet

 Jackson and Grayson Capstickdale, checking each other out

 Caroline and Clark Hale, loving on Ellie, and playing with Jackson

 Alicia accurately captioned this "Ellie and the 3 ring circus"

 GiGi has been MY lifesaver!

Collins Cardwell and Ellie. Fast friends and they don't even know it yet

Sweet Barbie brought us a yummy dinner, and loved on bright-eyed Ellie

23 Months and 3 Weeks

Before Jackson turns 2, I realized I needed to do a 23 month update (and I'll update on sweet Ellie too).

Just had to prove he wasn't totally terrified of Santa this year

Jackson was in his big boy bed but is now back in his crib since Ellie has been born.  That is fine by me, as he tends to sleep much longer in his crib.  He's still interested in the big boy potty, but I'm not pushing potty training at this stage of our newborn life.  We thoroughly enjoyed it when Daddy was home for 3 weeks, and he and Jackson did everything together since Mommy was so preoccupied with Ellie.

 A fun trip to McWane

Sporting Daddy's crocs

Jackson is still happy-go-lucky, with some mild regression since Ellie has been born.  But overall, he loves her and is always asking about Sissy. The other day he finally asked to hold her, and while I didn't have a camera handy to capture the precious moment, I plan on getting it on film one of these days. Jackson was thrilled to hold her, and made sure Sissy had her pacifier smushed to her face.

Helping Sissy put her Wubbanub pacifier in her mouth

Ellie is a sweet baby.  She's definitely starting to wake up more, but overall just eats and sleeps.  When we hold her while she sleeps, she'll go longer during her feedings, sometimes up to 5 hours.  

 First family walk

Ellie in the baby Bjorn

 Mommy made this gown before Jackson was born

Crazy hair

While I typically play Chris Rice's Hymns CD in the mornings when Jackson eats breakfast, I never thought he paid much attention to the music.  But recently, I've turned around from cutting up fruit at the kitchen counter, and I spy him wagging his head side to side to the beat of the piano music, wiggling his whole body at times to the music.  Melts my heart.

The favorite moment of my day is when we say prayers at night with Jackson.  He leans into Andy's chest and closes his eyes, his long eyelashes accentuated on his cute little cheeks, folds his hands, sucks hard on his pacifier, and says a resounding AMEN when we're done with the prayer.  If we ever forget to pray at night (on an occasional hectic crazy night), he gets upset and will cry in his crib until we come pray with him. I love that he's starting to grasp the blessing we sing at meals and they sing at Mother's Day Out.  My prayer for him has been and will always be that he'll have a heart like David's, longing for the Lord and seeking His presence always.

Easy Dinners

We have had so many wonderful friends and family bringing us some much-needed dinners, and for that we're forever grateful!

On the days when we don't have meals and Andy is home, I have, surprisingly, been up and cooking, and I thought I'd share some easy dinners I've been doing.  I'm also amazed at the difference in my two post-pregnancy states...with Jackson, I was comatose for about 6 weeks, and unloading the dishwasher was a big accomplishment.  Second time around, I suppose I realize how tired I'll be in the newborn days, and therefore I'm used to it and realize the sleepless nights won't last forever.  And, I have a family to feed, so here are some recipes I've quickly whipped up:

Smitten Kitchen's Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Biscuits

Recipe here.

Use leftover sweet potatoes to make these Sweet Potato Pancakes

Recipe here.

Pioneer Woman's Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

Recipe here.

Crockpot Cashew Chicken

Recipe here.

(Note, I definitely doubled the sauce.  And I added frozen peas and chopped baby carrots when I added the cashews.  Makes it tasty and healthy.)

And I'm making this tomorrow night:

Oatmeal-Crusted Chicken Tenders

Recipe here.

Christmas Day 2012

 Christmas Eve with my handsome men. My sweet grandparents came over and held Ellie so we three could attend our church's Christmas Eve service. Jackson did great and sat quietly through the hour long service (minus the fact he said "yay" after every song and prayer).

 Jackson loves his Papaw

Christmas morning, waiting on Mommy and Sissy to get up

 Ellie slept through all of the present opening at my parent's house

 Our little plumber boy

 Meemaw has the magic touch with babies.  After all, she raised 4 boys!

Ellie wearing the sweet jacket Mrs. Ann sewed for Jackson

 Fun with Aunt Margaret

 Love my boy

Meemaw, Ellie, and Jason

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!