Extreme iPhone Dump

So, I finally uploaded all of my iPhone pictures from the past five months or so.  I'm "dumping" all of my favorites on the blog.  Sorry for the massive amount of photos or for the repetition of ones you may have already seen on Facebook.  I just wanted to save these here to remember some of the last few months.

Enjoy!

 OCTOBER

Me and my good friend Laura before babies. 
Laura gave birth to Heidi a few weeks after I gave birth to Olivia.



Autumn's painted face at the Sugar Land Baptist Fall Festival.



Mimi and Autumn at the petting zoo at the Fall Festival.



Love this one of Papa and Autumn trick or treating at one of the local churches.

Proud Daddy.




Cake Pops in honor of Baby O.




Autumn donning Lilly's Dorothy wig.  She looks like a doll!




Mommy and Baby O getting to know each other.

 NOVEMBER


Mommy and Olivia getting ready to head home.




All tuckered out from watching the Texans.




All tuckered out from doing . . . nothing.




Practicing saying "cheese."




Pops and Olivia.




Cousin Landry and Autumn.  Autumn looks sooo grown up here.



Mommy and Baby Bennett at Noel's wedding reception.



Flower Girl Autumn was completely worn out.




Aunt Alli meeting Baby O.





Lilly looking adorable.





Autumn and Mommy celebrating Mommy's big 3-0!



This little girl is so fun.




Baby O meeting Uncle Sam. 
Scratch that, this is one of the twins meeting Uncle Sam - it was a dark photo.




Autumn chilling at the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot.



Pops, Andrew and two little turkeys.

Getting ready for the Renaissance Festival.

Llama llama



She sat so still for the face painting.



and she's out.



"do dat Mommy, do dat" - Autumn wanted to go ice skating.



Celebrating my best friend Christel's big 3-0 Mexican style.

DECEMBER


Pops and Lilah



Aunt Manda babysitting Lili and Lilah. Lili was all smiles.



Sweet baby O.




Olivia and Lilah chilling in the boppy.



Olivia checking out her ear.

Autumn tackling or kissing Olivia, not sure which.



Don't tell Andrew I posted this one. 
I think his face was in response to something Autumn was doing or about to do.




Papa and his girls.




I think this one showcases the girls' personalities:
Autumn being silly, Lili being chill, Olivia being sweet and Lilah being a drama queen. 



The whole fam (less Allison and Sam of course)



The Walker Families, yes all of our girls are matching.



Sweet Baby O



I have a lot of pictures like these
of Daddy passed out on the couch with Olivia



That baby is NOT happy.



That's better.




Mommy and Baby O at the Zoo Lights.




The Zoo Lights are a new Christmas tradition for us.




Autumn loved the Zoo Lights.




Deloitte Christmas Party at the Museum of Natural Science.




This little girl knows how to open Netflix
and pick out a show to watch on Mimi's iPhone.




Adorable!  Need I say more?




Autumn at her school Christmas party.




Baby O chillaxing on Mommy and Daddy's bed.




A little bedtime reading with Papa.




On to the real bedtime story.

JANUARY


Hanging out with Lilly, watching princesses of course!




Eating gummi bears and potty training at midnight.



Mommy's Little Sunshine.



Autumn pretending to pump milk for her baby doll.





Baby O is all smiles.



Funny face!



We found a new really cool park with slides built into hills.



I'm not sure who liked the new park more, Autumn or Daddy.



Cake pops for Uncle Andrew's birthday!




Cake Pop Baby O?



Mommy and her sick little girl.



Autumn felt better and dressed up like "Derella".




"be right back Mommy." 
Apparently she learned this phrase from me.



And the sick little girl is out!



Happy baby.



Saint Arnold's MS 150 info meeting. 
Yes, we took a baby, not just to a bar, but to a brewery. 
We're awesome parents.



Andrew spending some time with Pops.




My two big girls.




Pops enjoying happy hour.





Daddy and Baby O intently watching TV.



 FEBRUARY


Papa and sweet Baby O.




Typical.



Playing with Mommy.



All smiles.



Intently watching Sofia the First.

Oh O, you're just too cute.



Funny face.




Learning how to climb at Chick-fil-A.




Big girl got her ears pierced.  You can hardly tell she cried, right?




Cake pops make everything better.




Baby girl got her ears pierced too.



Trying out the Walker Brothers Meconium Stout,
not too bad for a beer named after baby poop.



Cooper doing what he does best.




My last beer before Lent.




Valentine's cookies for Autumn's classmates.



Sweet Valentines.



My sleeping beauty. 
This is why it is hard for me to get into work on time. 
I just want to stay and watch her forever.




My sweet Valentine.



Princesses

So, I don't think I've done an update on Autumn in a little while.  She is getting so big and so grown up.  She talks so much these days and I am always amazed at what she says.  Here are some of my favorites:

• My Daddy hot, hot hot! (guess who taught her how to say this)
• No way!
• Gummi bears (her treat for going pee or poop on the potty)
• Play little bit
• More more sunshine (referring to the song You are My Sunshine)
• Mommy sing (I love that she hasn't noticed that I'm tone deaf)
• sing Jesus loves me (Daddy sings this to her at night)
• Daddy my prince
• Mommy/Daddy love me
• Tio Luke house

She understands so much of what is going on around her and she repeats a lot of what we say.  She LOVES princesses.  Her favorite is Belle or Ariel or Snow White or Sophia the First.  It changes by the minute. 

Autumn is so sweet and has a maternal instinct.  She likes to play with her baby dolls and pretend to nurse them (or even pump milk for them - ha) and then pretend burp them.  She is so sweet with Baby O as well, giving her kisses and tender hugs.

Here are a few pics of Autumn and Lilly from a few weeks ago.  They love to dress up like princesses.

Baby O at 3 Months

I cannot believe our sweet Baby O is 3 months.  Here's the lowdown on this past month.

• Height and weight - No idea the specifics, but you sure are getting some chubby cheeks and some leg rolls.  It's all good though.  Babies should be a little plump.  You're so much bigger than Autumn was that it seems a little weird to me, but I'm loving watching you grow.
• Clothes - You are starting to outgrow 0-3 months and probably by the end of this short month will be completely out of them.  You are mainly getting too tall for them.
• Illnesses - You had RSV towards the beginning of this month.  We took you to the doctor because Mimi said your cough was too bad.  The doc thought you looked perfect, but went ahead and tested you for RSV.  You tested positive and within a couple days your cough got worse and we had to start breathing treatments with a nebulizer.  You handled the treatments like a champ and were over the worst of it within a few days.  While you had RSV you did not sleep well, which Mommy and Daddy did not appreciate, but of course we couldn't be mad at the sad sick little baby.  Autumn and Daddy also got the norovirus (stomach bug going around) this last month, but so far you and Mommy have stayed well.
• Family - We lost your great-grandpa "Pops" this month after a battle with melanoma.  You would have loved Pops.  He sure loved you and loved to hold you.  He said you were so peaceful.  He lost pretty much all of his hearing towards the end, but he could still hear you cry and he liked the sound of it.
• Developmental - You are sitting up well supported by the Bumbo or Mommy or Daddy.  You like to look around a lot.  You are smiling and laughing more every day.  You also like to coo too.  You usually smile or coo at me when I say "ooo" while I change your diaper.  You love to look at your Daddy.  You also love to watch your big sister.  I can't wait till you are old enough to play with her.
• Eating - You still eat so well.  You take 4-6 oz in a bottle 5-7 times a day and you feed for 7-15 minutes on each side when I nurse you.  Your nursings have gotten a lot shorter this month as you are becoming a more efficient eater.  We also stopped using the nipple shields while nursing this month.  Those things are a life saver in the beginning though.
• Sleeping - This last week you decided to stop sleeping through the night.  You were waking up 2, 3 and 4 times at night.  I don't think you were waking up hungry.  I think you just wanted to socialize.  Last night you finally slept through the night again.  Such a blessing to help me start off the week right.  Hopefully you will continue to sleep through the night.  I think you are going through a growth spurt now.  Between the weird sleep schedule and then last night you had 2 bottles at one feeding.  That is about 8-9 oz.  and you hardly spit up any of it.  Hungry hungry hippo!  I bought you a breathable mesh bumper today and a sleep sack.  I bought the breathable bumper because this morning your arm was hanging out of the crib.  We haven't put on the original crib bumper because the nurse at the hospital told us the AAP recommends not using bumpers because of the risk of suffocation.  Autumn never had any issues with her bumper, but better safe than sorry.

Olivia, you are such a sweet and happy baby.  You have been a blessing to our lives and we are having so much fun watching you grow and develop.



My favorite pic so far from your 3 month session.

All pics from Nicole Boniface Photography.

Morton's Mac and Cheese

The web site that has my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe took down the recipe.  I was able to find it elsewhere, but I thought I'd post it here just in case I can't find it again.  It is seriously some of the best mac and cheese you'll ever make!

 

Note - I edited the recipe slightly based on how I make it.

 

Morton's Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces dried cavatappi or other small hollow, ridged pasta
• 1 Tbs melted butter
• 4 tablespoons finely diced yellow onion
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• Kosher salt
• 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into small cubes
• 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 2/3 cup)
• 1 ounce Swiss cheese, grated (about 6 tablespoons)
• 1/2 tablespoon chile paste, such as sambal oelek
• 5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded (about 1 2/3 cups)
• 8 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain but leave
a little water on the pasta to keep it moist. Reserve another 1/2 cup of pasta water
to thin the sauce. Return to the cooking pot and cover to keep warm.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the onions for
about 1 minute or until tender. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Stir in the
cheddar, cream, Parmesan and Swiss cheeses and cook, stirring, until the cheeses
melt and are fully incorporated into the cream. Let the sauce reach a simmer and
stir in the chile paste. You will have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce.
4. Remove from the heat and using an immersion blender or hand-held electric
mixer, beat for about 45 seconds until the cheeses and onions are completely
blended. The sauce will be thick; thin it with the reserved 1/2 cup of pasta water
and mix well. Season to taste with salt.
5. Ladle the sauce over the pasta and mix well with a rubber spatula. Transfer to a
deep, 2-quart baking dish and spread the pasta and cheese evenly. Sprinkle the
coarsely shredded cheese over the casserole and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake
for 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and bubbling around the edges. Serve
immediately.

Working Mom

I stumbled across this article today while researching reasons why my 3 month old might have suddenly stooped sleeping through the night (I'll save that for another post).  This article was great!  I can completely relate to so much of it.  Especially the chilled wine in the fridge part.

I've been wanting to write a post for a while now about why I am an working mom.  This article just about sums it up.  The thing is I never EVER thought I would be a working mom, much less one who consciously chooses to be one (not out of financial necessity), but here I am and I am very HAPPY with my decision.  There are a few reasons that the author cites as to why a mom might work outside the home that particularly resonated with me.

1. I value my education and the years I've devoted to my career.
2. I think it is good for our [girls] to see me working outside our home so they know that a woman isn't confined to being a wife and a mother.
3. I also know that some day our kids will be off at college or started on careers of their own and I want to keep a foot in the working world so when that time comes, I'm not staring at a big gap in my resume that makes it harder for me to get a job.
4. I also like the equality that exists in my marriage because both my husband and I put money in the bank.

Anyways, just thought I would share this article today, since I enjoyed reading it.  I'll post next week on O's third month and why on earth she's not sleeping anymore (once we resolve this issue of course).  I also need to do an update on our big girl.  Man, is she growing up fast!

Lent

I am thinking about doing something crazy for Lent this year.  Today I got an e-mail from Living Water International (a non profit organization that provides clean water to people in need of it).  Living Water is encouraging people to do the H2O Project.  I am thinking about jumping on the bandwagon.  The premise of the project is that you only drink water for a period of time (40 days for Lent) and then you donate the money you save to help people who need clean water.  I don't know if I can truly quantify the money I will save, but I will plan to drink ONLY water for Lent and then donate a sum of money to Living Water on Easter Sunday.  This will be SUPER HARD for me since I typically drink a cup of coffee every morning, a diet soda or two in the afternoon and a beer or wine at dinner.  I am confident that I will have caffeine withdrawals and I am also confident that I will rethink this decision A LOT.  As an adult I have enjoyed the practice of Lent and I truly believe that whatever you do for Lent should be challenging.  This will certainly be a challenge for me.  Keep me in your thoughts and prayers once Lent begins.  I have a feeling I'll be nursing a hangover on Ash Wednesday with no Gatorade or coffee to help me out.

Christmas

So, I never actually posted any pictures from Christmas.  I won't bore you with too many details.  Basically we celebrated Christmas about a half dozen times between Andrew's family and mine and all of our extended family, but I only got pictures from the celebration we had at our house and then a few on Christmas Day.  I am absolutely horrible at taking pictures.  Maybe I'll get better one of these days.

Andrew and Uncle Dwight trying out Andrew and Luke's latest home brew.



Pops and Lilah

 

Pops and Snow White (aka Autumn)



Tio doing what he does best.



More of Pops and Snow White.



Autumn and Mommy on Christmas morning. 
Excuse my messy day before smeared makeup.

 

Opening her stocking.  Santa brought her sour pacifiers (like sour patch kids, but shaped like pacifiers).



Santa brought Autumn a Merida and Belle doll.

 

Grandma Joy and a fussy Baby O.



Happier Baby O.


On a side note, one of the things Andrew and I have decided we want to do is be very intentional in how we celebrate Christmas and other holidays with the girls.  We want to make sure that they grow up knowing the real meaning of the holiday and not focus so much on the presents.  One of the ways that we're doing this at Christmas is by limiting the number of gifts from us and from Santa.   Mommy and Daddy will only give the girls one bigger present each year to be opened on Christmas Eve.  Mommy and Daddy made a deal with Santa Claus that he will only bring the girls three presents each plus stocking stuffers.  The significance of the number of presents is that is the number of presents Baby Jesus got - gold frankincense and myrrh.  This year the girls each got earrings from Mommy and Daddy since we're planning to get their ears pierced soon.  Autumn got two dolls and a Minnie beauty shop set from Santa.  Olivia got some soft books  and bath books.