9 months

I told Duffy the other day that Harper, being 9 months old, has been alive as many months as I was pregnant. I remember thinking this with Zoe and Teagan, but for some reason, it seems so much more meaningful with Harper. I've been thinking about it a lot this last week and am in awe of how much she has changed in 9 months. Here are some of the things I've thought:

• Since she will probably be our last child, I'm trying to cherish every last baby moment. Unless God has other plans for us, this will be the last time I'm dealing with rolling over, crawling, first teeth, diapering, etc.


• I was laid off at 5 months pregnant and other than working at The Good Book a few hours a week, I was home full-time and able to really enjoy my pregnancy. I worked full-time with Zoe and part-time with Teagan and even though things went smoothly, I sometimes look back and don't even remember parts of their pregnancies. With Harper, I was able to play with my kids, garden, enjoy the great weather we had and enjoy being pregnant.


• Since we've decided that life at our house/life goes more smoothly with me being home more, I'm enjoying being home with Harper more as a baby. There are frustrations that come with this though: less money, being creative with EVERYTHING, Harper refusing to take a bottle! But the joys are so much more: Harper's love for daddy and sisters, being able to spend so much more quality time with the girls - I can NEVER get this time back! Being available to watch Mr. P (a entire post of it's own - a total blessing!!) and being available to spend time with family and friends.


• It's amazing to me how much a baby learns in 9 months. They go from sleeping, eating and pooping all the time to laughing, smiling, rolling over, crawling, grabbing everything, finding amusement in siblings, eating "real" food, being silly, pulling themselves up on things, playing with anything!

Blogging

I really want to be one of those people that posts at least once a week! I'm jealous of those that can do it with wit, creativity and style! I always think of good topics to blog about when it is the least convenient time to blog and I have seemed to fail miserably at the recipe a week, photo a week, etc.

Maybe if I think about it like laundry and vacuuming, it has to get done every week, I'll have better success.

End

Well, my unemployment benefits have come to an end. I have reached the end of my benefit year and will not be re-applying for benefits. I am glad to be done with the job-searches, meeting with WorkSource as to why I haven't found a full-time job (hello, I haven't worked full time in over 5 years!) and feeling like I've always got someone checking up on me.



I'm excited/nervous/scared as to how things will work out financially, but am thankful for the hours at The Good Book (you know, my boss there can be a total slave driver!! Love you mom!!) and I'm going to be watching our friends little boy one day a week and fill-in when needed, so there will be a little income coming in. I'm getting really creative with all sorts of things around the house to save money and we are relocating our garden beds to hopefully have a more fruitful garden! And I'm loving the time at home - I can never get this time back, so to be able to be at home with them is amazing! Yes, things would be easier if I was working and bringing home a bigger paycheck, but what is more important for my family, right now??

Happy Birthday Sweet Princess

Happy 6th Birthday Zoe Lynne!!
You make everyday brighter and so much more fun and interesting!!! You are a great big sister and wonderful daughter! We love you so much!

Adventures in Cloth Diapering

So, a few weeks ago, I started thinking about cloth diapering. I've actually been thinking about if for a long while, since Teagan was a baby, but just didn't get that into it. When I started researching it this time around, I really got into it - it is something I can do to save some money (though, at first, as you are buying diapers and getting used to the laundry, it may not seem like it!); it's leaving a smaller footprint on our environment and it's not like Harper is in daycare - the only people changing her diapers are me and Duffy!

I've gotten some mixed reactions from people in my mom's generation (and some from my generation too!) - why would I think of doing this with the ease and convenience of disposables? It was a lot of work when I did it, why would you want to do all that extra work? It's so messy, disposables are so much easier. Am I crazy? First of all, cloth diapering has come a long way from when I wore them some 32 years ago - there are no pins if you don't want them; there are a ton of options as to the type of diapers you can use; some of the systems even come with disposable inserts! And I don't do any toilet swishing! I use a dry pail and wash everything every other day! And yes, maybe I am a little bit crazy, but then, aren't we all???

I'm not so die-hard that I don't see the benefits of disposables. Traveling is a perfect example! I am primarily going with the Flip system because the covers are totally awesome! The stay dry inserts work fabulously and they come with a disposable insert option that is reasonably priced and works great! So, I'll keep you posted on our adventure. For now, it seems to be going good!!

Pretzel Jell-o

Ok, for those that have never had it - don't knock it until you have some! It is AMAZING and addicting! A family favorite in this house!!

Pretzel Jell-o Recipe

Crust

3 C. broken pretzels

3/4 C. melted butter

3 T. sugar

Mix together and press into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, cool.

Filling

12oz cream cheese, softened

1 C powdered sugar

1 8oz tub Cool Whip

Beat cream cheese & sugar until smooth. Fold in cool whip and carefully spread over pretzel mixture.

Topping

1 6oz raspberry or strawberry jell-o

1 large pkg. frozen raspberries or strawberries

2 C. water

Dissolve jell-o in boiling water. Stir in frozen berries, stirring until jell-o begins to thicken. Spread over cool whip mixture in pan. Refrigerate until set. Cut into squares to serve.

Family Photos

We had pictures taken this past November and I realized I never posted any! Our friend Shannon's sister is an awesome photographer and we were lucky enough to catch a break in the weather one weekend when she was visiting!!

Check her out on the web: www.erinvey.com