Tamale Pie

I got home so excited about a recipe that I had found on Pinterest for Tamale Pie. It was a part of a once a month cooking blog that some friends and I are getting ready to try. Well, low and behold, my sweet husband went on one of his I-am-going-to-throw-out-everything-no-matter-its-value sprees. I had the ingredients but for the life of me could not find the recipe on pinterest (no I didn't pin it, yes I am an idiot.) So I decide to wing it and do my own thing.

It. Was. Amazing.

I did enough to be able to freeze the tamale part and just add cornbread mixture next time.

2 lbs ground beef
1 bell pepper
1 small zucchini (finely chopped)
1 medium carrot (finely chopped)
1 onion (half of it or all of it if you really like onions)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can tomato sauce
Chili Seasoning (Basically just season it the way you would your chili)

Brown your meat, strain and return to pan.
Add in your veggies and let that cook for a few minutes.
Add in your chili seasoning and cook for a few more minutes to allow meat to season.
Add in your tomato sauce and cook on simmer until veggies are done. 30 min or so
(If you are freezing, cook but don't overcook your veggies. That way wen you warm it up again they are not already cooked to death.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
While this is cooking mix up 2 packages of corn muffin mix. (I like sweeter tasting corn bread but you could do regular cornbread mix)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Spoon chili into pie pan. Add cornbread mixture to the top and spread until it covers pie pan.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until brown.

If you are freezing it wait for it to cool down before putting it into containers.

Really so good and definitely going onto our meal plan around here.

Roasted Chickpeas

Made these last night and they were great. Read a blog that says to bake them for 30 minutes...take them out to let them dry and rest a little more....then bake them again for 20 more minutes at 400 degrees.

 

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, thoroughly drained and rinsed (about 3 cups)

2 tablespoons olive oil

*   Cayenne or roasted red pepper. You don't need much at all.
I poured it into a zip lock bag and then put the beans in after I washed and dried them. I put a piece of parchment paper down but might just spray the pan or do foil next time.

The trick is to get them crunchy not dried out. I think next time I will know what my limit is before they burn and cook them right until they are done.

Middle rack on an oven works the best but bottom if you have to.

Such a great snack and cheap. I think next time I am going cook the beans myself instead of using canned beans.

Blast from the past....

This could be a good Wordless Wednesday because there truly are no words for it.

I found this picture the other day and nearly wet my pants laughing at it. Oh I miss my friends sometimes.

Coming down slowly....

So I don't hate you and I didn't de-friend you....well...maybe you.

Moral of the story is that I decided to take a break from Facebook and the start of Lent seemed like a perfect excuse to do so.

Actually I am taking a break from all media. CNN, Yahoo News, Fox News (oh wait...I'm not that stupid). See, I have this problem with anxiety. Rumors of North Korea building a missile and I am hiding in the basement. No joke. Pope resigns and it's obvious that Jesus is coming back tomorrow...duh. So when my panic attacks reared their ugly head recently, I decided that a break from media was what I needed. What I really mean is, now I have more time for Pinterest because it's technically not media.

So what am I going to do during this down time? Glad you are pondering that question as well.

1. Post Kennedy's 6 month picture.
2. Take Kennedy's 7 month picture before her 8 month one is due.
3. Post more on this blog because my mind still operates in Twits and Facebook statuses.
4. Text my friends more because I look at my phone 1,343,236,634,234, times a day thinking I still have FB on it.
5. Read, Read, Read, so if you have any good books and your name is NOT Sara Beth and your suggestion is STILL NOT Angels and Demons after 14 years of friendship....then leave a comment below.
6. Clean out Kennedy's clothes to make room for the trash bags of church hand me downs that are coming my way.
7. Spend some time soaking in my little family.
8. Spend time with Jesus (I know this is the Sunday School answer but it really is in the plans)
9. Do a once a month cook with my cousins
10. I just felt like there needed to be a number 10 to round out the list. List are no fun with 9 things.

So...be ready for the Peevy blog to be updated much through the next few weeks. I have to have something to do.

Kennedy 5 months

Kennedy turned 5 months on November 28th (which also happens to be my mom's birthday). Kennedy had her first Thanksgiving at the Fire Department because daddy had to work. Daddy has to work all the holidays this year and that really stinks. It's the life of being the wife and daughter of a fire fighter I suppose. Still, it was a great day. We went to the fire department first and had a big feast with all the guys and their families. There were so many little kids running around the place. After that, we went to Grandmother's house to have family Thanksgiving with Mimi, Poppa, Aunt Amber and Charlie. It was so fun to have this little girl this year for all of our Celebrations.

She's growing a lot in her length. We took her for a well visit on November 12th and then 9 days later had to take her for a not so well visit for a head cold. In that 9 days she had gained a whole pound and a quarter inch. She's still little for her weight at only 13 pounds but almost 26 inches which is 6 inches longer than when she was born.

We tried rice cereal once during this month and SHE. HATED. IT. Hated it I tell you. So, we'll try again next month.

She's growing so fast. She's starting to babble and mimic us a lot. Those two little teeth crack me up. She doesn't know what to do with them so she makes the funniest little faces.

We can't wait for next month to see her in her Christmas fun.

Kennedy 4 months

Kennedy turned 4 months old on October 28th. She is still a little thing. She's only in the 25th percentile for weight even though she eats ALL. THE. TIME. At 4 months old she cut her first two teeth. All she wanted for Christmas was her two front teeth and boy did she get them. She is only really fussy on the day that the break through; but that day is always a doozy. She is still sleeping through the night for us. We both really appreciate that. She's a happy baby that really loves to laugh and people and well...nothing. She'll just be cackling laughing for the heck of it. She has started to grasp some things really well...like mama's hair and earrings. I now know why people chop off their hair when they have kids.

We love you Kennedy Anne!

Kennedy's dedication

Brandon and I started going to Celebration a little over 4 years ago. When we started there, we weren't even married yet. We have loved our time at Celebration and can't wait to see where God takes our church.

Kennedy was dedicated to the Lord on September 9th by our Pastor Mike Day.

Mike did an incredible job of telling our story and remembering the path that it took for us to get our sweet girl. He charged us as parents to bring our little girl up telling her all the great things the Lord has done in our lives. He charged us to defend her, comfort her, provide for her and most of all love her.

Mike always does a great job of reminding the church that it really does take a village to raise a child. To love on them, watch them play and grow and help them along the way.

Kennedy had a crowd of family and friends and there to celebrate her dedication.

 



 Our good friends the Kindigs. Scott and Kim have been a HUGE blessing to us and love our baby girl.

 

 

Kennedy's friends. She will love being in the children's ministry and youth group with these fun kiddos soon.

 

 

Betsy and Olive!

 

 

All the kiddos!

 

 

Me and my sweet girl!

 

 

Mama and her baby!

 

 

 

Mama wanted to take some pictures!

 

Love this sweet girl and we are so thrilled to have this day with our family and friends.



Three Months Old

So before my kid turns 4 months old next week...I might want to post her 3 month pictures. Oops.

 

Kennedy turned 3 months old on September 28th. Just in time for football season. Of course Mama rolls with the Tide ....

and Daddy is a Vols fan.

So we had to take 2 pictures for this month.

Kennedy is getting so big. She had a very big month. She rolled over from front to back and back to front this month. She aslo started cutting her first tooth. It's just barely poking through but it's there.

Kennedy loves to suck, chew, eat her fingers. She loves her piano mat that her Mama Kay bought her and loves her monkey bouncer. She is cooing and laughing up a storm these days and I love capturing those sweet moments in my mind.

She has changed so much in the last few weeks that it's amazing to think where we will be a year from now. I really didn't think that time would pass by this fast but it has really flown by.

So thankful to be this girl's mama.

A new man in the house

There's a new man living with me these days.

I don't really like him. At All. Not one bit really.

I know that one day I will love him. LOVE HIM. Might even name my first son after him.

Probably not.

Did I mention that I don't like him? He's making my life so hard right now. I just want to pinch his little head off.

I've dealt with him before, but basically it ended up on me quitting him or dare I even say....cheating on him.

I have a feeling he's sticking around this time and that really makes me angry. I know he's for the best but UGH I wish I could live my way and without him.

I guess for now I'll have to deal but in the meantime. Welcome back....

Dave Ramsey!

Sheesh!

 

Two Months Old

Kennedy is now a whole 2 months old!

She's starting to smile some and loves her bath time. She loves to stretch and makes some of the funniest little faces in the morning when she gets up.

She sleeps through the night. She usually goes down somewhere between 9 - 10:30 and sleeps till 6:30 - 7:30. Every once in a while we get a 4 a.m. wake up call if she's gone to bed to early the night before. We are so blessed with our great little sleeper.

She loves music. Radio, CD (especially her hymns lullabye), music from her toys or play yard, doesn't matter where it's coming from...she loves it.

I started back to work and made it to two days of pre-planning before I had to go out for gallbladder surgery. That gave me a few more days with her but that was the only up side. When I did finally head back to work she started staying with her Mimi (Brandon's mom) and her daddy. Mimi keeps her on the days that Brandon works and the mornings that he gets off from work. Daddy comes home and gets her and then has her until the next time he goes back to work. Brandon really is so good with her and I love watching him bond with her. I can usually catch them asleep together in the recliner when I get home from work.

She did get her two month shots the other day and that was heartbreaking. She cried for just a few minutes and then knocked out for the rest of the day. She did really well but it's hard to see her not feel good.

Here's her two month stats:

10lbs 5 oz (50th percentile).
23 3/4 long (95th percentile).
Her eyes are still a blueish gray.

Can you help?

Can you help?

Maybe you have been looking for a tangible way to help those in need. Maybe you want to help someone but you don't know that your money will really go to a good cause and used to benefit others. Below are two stories from families in my church that you can help. I know each of these families personally and can provide additional information if you need it.

At church this morning I was stopped by my friend Gail who told me of her sweet nephew and his fight in this world. Easton was born just a few days ago with a rare skin disease. Basically, he was born with no skin on a large part of his body.

You can read and donate here http://www.indiegogo.com/SAVEBABYEASTON.

I can't imagine as a mother watching my poor baby live in this amount of pain. It breaks my heart for Easton, his parents and siblings. Anything will help this family and their rising cost to help take care of their sweet family.

We were also given the chance to help another precious couple and their "baby" girl. Katie Smith is the daughter of our Music/Worship/Missions/Everything else Pastor Dan Brothers and his wife Mary Beth. Dan and MB came to our church a few years ago and the Peevys instantly fell in love with them. We have loved serving alongside of them on the mission field and on the stage and love their hearts for people and missions. They have been there for us in some of our hardest moments and have never turned us away from a prayer, hug, phone conversation or just time to hang out and chill.

Katie is a beautiful, 31‐year old former teacher, who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at just 4‐months old. For the most part, she has lived a fairly normal life until November 2010, when she was officially listed on the lung transplant list at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. While her course of treatment has been determined, when this might take place is unknown...

We know that God has a plan in all of this, but never imagined that she would still be waiting for her transplant after almost two years. Even with insurance, Katie will have many uninsured, transplant-related expenses such as: co-pays and deductibles, doctor visits, insurance premiums and the costly immunosuppressant medications that she will need to take for the rest of her life.

 

To help offset her uninsured costs, a fundraising campaign in Katie’s honor has been established with HelpHOPELive (formerly NTAF), a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for nearly 30 years. All contributions are tax-deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the Southeast Kidney Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only.

 

4 day, 3 night Carnival cruise for 2 in an ocean-view cabin on your choice of Carnival Cruise Lines ships. $1,132.00 value.

Certificate is valid for a full 18 months. Winner chooses when and where to travel.

Enter to win!

To enter, you may donate directly to HelpHopeLive at http://www.helphopelive.org/
1. Click the link http://www.helphopelive.org/
2. In the “Find a Patient” box, enter Katie (first name); Smith (last name)
3. Choose “Lung” in the Type field
4. Click "Find!"
5. Click on Katie’s Cruise Raffle under “My Fundraisers” (left side of page)
6. Complete the information page – be sure to include the number of tickets you are purchasing!

Enter by September 24 - Drawing will be held on September 29, 2012. 

  4 day, 3 night Carnival cruise for 2 in an ocean-view cabin on your choice of Carnival Cruise Lines ships. $1,132.00 value.

Certificate is valid for a full 18 months. Winner chooses when and where to travel.

Enter to win!

To enter, you may donate directly to HelpHopeLive at http://www.helphopelive.org/
1. Click the link http://www.helphopelive.org/
2. In the “Find a Patient” box, enter Katie (first name); Smith (last name)
3. Choose “Lung” in the Type field
4. Click "Find!"
5. Click on Katie’s Cruise Raffle under “My Fundraisers” (left side of page)
6. Complete the information page – be sure to include the number of tickets you are purchasing!

Enter by September 24 - Drawing will be held on September 29, 2012. 

 

One month!

Someone told me the day she was born to not blink because they grow up so fast. Ok...a lot of people told me that. That statement didn't feel very true the second night in the hospital when she preceeded to scream (the entire night) like we were killing her. We even asked if they had a different model of baby to test drive before we took her home (I really hope she never reads my blog). Thankfully she got over that, we took her home and time has literally flown by. I don't know where this past month has gone and my little girl is growing up for sure.

I try not to blink.

I am trying to savor each and every moment. I am trying to look into her eyes a little longer while I feed her and trying to memorize the look of her tiny hand holding mine. I am even trying to enjoy the moments where she is screaming for no-real-good-reason-at-all and remember that there is coming a time when she won't let me soothe her like she does now. I listen to each coo, grunt, lawn mower sound while she is sleeping and hope that she'll always be that cute.

I'm really trying to not blink.

Here's her one month stats:

She weighed 7lbs 4oz at birth and now she's 8lbs 13oz.
She was 20 inches long at birth and now she's 21 1/2
She's still eating like a champ. 4 oz or so at a time.
She sleeps from 11 - 6/7ish but going down at 11 has become a nightmare of sorts. (She said screw all the books you've been reading on how to get me to sleep and just come hold me!)
Her eyes are still that blue/grayish color for now.
Her hair changes every day. Some days she's blonde, some days it has a redish tint (people love to point that one out), some days it looks brown. Maybe she'll just have natural highlights and not have to buy them like her mom.

I know month 2 will pass by even faster than first because work is about to start back up soon. I know I have been screaming that I am ready but really I am in the corner sucking my thumb and rocking wondering how in the world I am going to make it through those first few days.

Kennedy,

You have turned our month upside down and we wouldn't want it any other way. We are trying to capture all the memories we can. We love you. More than we could have imagined. Please don't grow up so fast.

Love,

Your mom and dad.

2 weeks

Kennedy is now 2 weeks old. We went for her appointment last Tuesday. She was up to 7 lbs 8 oz. She is now mostly formula fed due to feeding issues that I have had. She is growing great and doing well according to the doctor.

Sleeping is a roller coaster around here. Right now we go between great nights and horrible nights. We usually get 2 or 3 great ones before we have to go through a rough one.

On her great nights she usually wakes up around 10, eats and goes right back to sleep. She will get up again somewhere between 1 - 3 and then again at like 7. Most of the time she eats and goes right back to sleep until her early morning feeding where she wants to play....a lot.

On the not so great nights she wants to feed at 11, 12, 1 and 2 (give or take a few hours and feedings) and usually again at like 4 and 6. Occasionally she will go back to sleep but most of the time she wants to play and coo.

I never realized how much having a baby is a learning curve. You can read all of the books, blogs and plans you want to. The reality is your child will tell you what to do and how to do it. Sometimes it's like cracking a code, you just have to keep doing what you can until it works right for your baby.

Our next big challenge comes this week when Brandon goes back to work. He has been with us since the 27th when we went into the hospital. He has been such a great husband and daddy and I am more in love with him today than ever. He has taken care of me in every way possible and does great with Kennedy. He's changed more diapers than I have at this point and has become a champ at helping with bottle feedings. He usually gets up with her in the early morning feedings and stays with her until I wake up later in the morning. I love coming into the living room and seeing them talking and playing. We are going to miss his help, especially at night, and just him being here to play with her.

I have 3 more weeks before school starts back and I am excited and dreading it all at the same time. I love the start of school but I know I will miss her more than imagineable once school starts back. We are so blessed that Brandon has a job where he will be able to take care of her most of the time. The other days she will go to his mom's house. I know that I don't have to worry about her when I am at work but I will miss spending time with her.

It's all going by so fast but I love watching her change and grow.

Kennedy Anne Peevy

Kennedy Anne Peevy came into this world on June 28th at 4:50 p.m. I was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday night and given some medication to make the induction process a little easier and to help me sleep. Well sleep I did. So much that they had to come and shove oxygen up my nose and remind me to breathe.

The next morning at 7 a.m. the doctor came in and broke my water. A few hours later I chose to get an epidural. At first it seemed liked everything was going fine. There were a few places that the epidural worked. However, as the contractions became stronger and she began moving into position for birth it became clear that the epidural was working everywhere except the most important place.

After a few consultations with different anesthesiologists and it was determined that there was nothing that could be done to make it work correctly. I was scared to death to have to give birth naturally but there was really nothing else to do than to get through it.

With an amazing husband by my side and an incredible nurse who helped me get through it, Kennedy came into this world completely healthy and perfect.

We are so in love with our amazing gift. She is precious. She is such a good baby. She only gets up once a night and is doing so well. She has long legs and arms. We love to watch her yawn and stretch. It's our favorite thing that she does.

She has her daddy's eyes and her mama's chin. Brandon was blonde at birth and she takes that after him. She has my cheeks and lips.

We sit here and stare wondering how in the world we could be so blessed to be her parents. We are so excited she is with us and can't wait to watch her learn and grow.

Welcome to the world Kennedy. We love you!

Ready or Not...

Ready or not (and honestly I think I am leaning towards the not) Kennedy is coming this week. We are headed inWednesday night to start the induction. I am praying that she is here by Thursday afternoon but only time will tell.

I have such mixed emotions. I am so glad the end is in sight. I have tried to not take a single minute of this pregnancy for granted. However, I am tired of being pregnant. I am tired, sore, and have officially ran out of room for this little girl. I am ready for the heart burn, carpel tunnel and swelling to go away. I am grateful and thankful to have been given the chance to carry this sweet baby for the last 38 weeks but I am ready for it to be over.

On the other hand, I am sad that the end is in sight. It took us a while to finally get pregnant and be able to keep the pregnancy. I don't know what the future holds. I don't know if I will ever be pregnant again and get the chance to feel these little kicks (or Tyson like punches.) As hard as this pregnancy has been it has been everything I could have ever imagined. It has been such a sweet feeling to carry her and be bonded with her like no one else has had the chance. As this pregnancy comes to a close, it saddens me to think it could be the last time that I get to experience this. I am so ready to see her face and get to watch her grow but there is a part of me that will miss carrying her so close.

There are so many feelings that come along with her finally coming into the world but I am just so ready to meet her. I can't wait to see her sweet face, to see all this hair that has given me such heart burn, to see who she looks like. I can't wait to be her mother and watch her become a daddy's girl.

"For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him." 1 Samuel 1:27.

So...ready or not. Kennedy is coming.

So close...

Today we hit the 37 week mark. That means we have a full term baby on our hands. The growth scan on Monday showed that she is weighing 6lbs and 10oz which is right on track. She gave us a little scare on Sunday by sleeping almost all day and not really feeling the need to move. She woke up on Monday and hasn't quit moving since.

Tomorrow is our 37 week appointment and here are a few of the scenarios that could play out.

1. We meet with one of our doctors that we haven't seen in a while. She is super sweet and soooooo little. I really like her though and I am so glad she makes up the third doctor in our practice. Depending on how high my blood pressure is and how the baby is doing she could decide that we need to induce that night or possibly the next day. We will check to make sure no signs (other than swelling and high BP) of pre-eclampsia have reared their ugly heads. If they have it will be an immediate induction or c-section depending on how bad.  OR....

2. My BP could still be slightly elevated but showing no signs of BP and we put off the induction for another week. At this point the thought is that we will not try and go beyond 38 weeks because of my consistent high blood pressure. OR....

3. She could come on her own during that week of waiting but I am putting a big YEAH RIGHT on that one.

So to sum it all up....we could have a baby tomorrow but it won't be any longer than next week. As much as I love the doctor that we will see tomorrow and wouldn't care if she delivered Kennedy, our regular doctor is who we will see the following week. We have been with him through the last 4 years. It would be awesome for him to be the one on call. We are so thankful to go to a practice that we really to love and trust all three of the doctors and adore the nursing staff.

So that's the update. Until then it's a lot of Dallas, Waltons, Saved by the Bell, reading on the Knook and trying to pass the time until she gets here.

Countdown has begun...

Well, we are officially on a countdown to baby being here. I hit the 35 week mark this past Wednesday. A few weeks ago my blood pressure was extremely high and I was instructed to go home, drink water and rest. I was also sent to a specialist to keep a close watch on Kennedy's growth for the last few weeks of this pregnancy. So every Monday is now spent getting 4D ultrasounds (glad I paid 100.00 for this a few weeks back and got zero good pictures and now get one every week) checking her weight and growth. Every Thursday we get to see our regular OB practice that monitors her heart to make sure she is not in distress. I am on blood pressure medication and modified bed rest until she makes her grand entrance into this world.

Which could be sooner than later.... Right now she is doing great and I am doing great. However, they will continue to monitor me to make sure that I don't develop pre-eclampsia. At 37 weeks we will look to see how things are going and determine then if we will induce or allow her to come on her own.

Which doesn't seem to be anytime soon.... Regardless of what my mom and aunt think, she has not dropped at all. After my check the other day it seems as though she is not ready to come on her own which is actually a good thing. Although her chances on the outside world are really good at this point, I would love for her to come when she is good and ready. Reality is that my blood pressure will probably not go down any further than what it is currently and at some point we will have to pull the trigger and get this baby out.

All of this is a little nerve wrecking for me. It's crazy to think that I could have a baby in my arms in less than 2 weeks but definitely no more than 4. WoW!

So until then I will continue to lay on the couch, fold laundry, watch a Baby Story like an idiot and catch up (judge you) on YOUR life on facebook.

Sweet Summertime

This school year was great! It was hands down the best year of my teaching career. Great kids, phenomenal co-teachers, amazing administration. It was great to be able to co-teach and not have to deal with the pressure of teaching resource classes . It was amazing having administration to support me and help me get through this pregnancy as well as I have. It was really nice not having any additional responsibilities or coaching duties. Overall it was just an amazing year.

BUT…Oh how I love the summer. Summer is a great reward for everything that we have to put up with during the year. This year the summer break means getting some time to relax and get things ready for Kennedy’s arrival. She is expected to be here sometime between July 4th – July 11th by the way she is measuring. She could always be earlier or later (oh I pray not!) and we could not be any more excited. I am planning on taking 6 weeks from the beginning of the school year, so I should have anywhere from 9-11 weeks at home with her before going back to work in September.
That is all tentative but the plan right now.

Tomorrow marks week 33 and so far everything is still going great. My blood pressure was elevated last visit (couldn’t have been because we showed up to the wrong office and I had to make it back for the last day of school) but the doctor wasn’t concerned because of all that I had going on that day. He has decided to start bringing me in every week just to keep an eye on it and make sure she is still doing well.

She has days that she is really quite and doesn’t move much. It scares the crap out of me but I am told it’s normal and that she is just growing and running out of room. She usually makes up for it the next day by holding Zumba lessons in my stomach. I love those days but they are becoming sorta uncomfortable as hard as she kicks and punches.

We have been more than overwhelmed and blessed by our different showers and groups of families and friends. Our living room and her nursery looks like Babies R Us right now. I plan to post about the different events in the coming days. Brandon and I both feel undeserving of all the love people have shown us and are humbled by the amount of people that care for us and our family. I have loved washing all the little clothes and blankets and Brandon is having fun setting up all the equipment and playing (I mean setting up) all the toys! :) My plan is just to take everything a day at a time, task at a time and get things finished for baby girl’s arrival.

It will be a sweet summertime for sure.

10 Reasons....

Happy Anniversary Brandon Peevy. 4 years ago today I was blessed to become your wife. You show me everyday what it means to love and to be loved. I can't wait to watch you become Kennedy's daddy in just a few weeks. She's lucky to have you! So with all that said...here's a little top ten list for you! Top Ten Reasons I Love My Husband. 10. Even though he has grown to hate Millie (she doesn't obey...ever) he lets me keep her and deals with her because he knows I can not handle getting rid of her right now. 9. He loves New Hope. I mean the boy LOVES New Hope. He loves going back there with me. He loves talking and mainly listening to all my aunts and uncles (see #5) and their stories for the 1,000th time. He loves riding around the country looking at all the old stuff and just driving for miles through farm land and green grass. 8. He is my defender. 7. He has a crooked middle finger and it makes me laugh. 6. He loves using his EMT skills when I do something stupid. Just like the other night when I dropped a pot roast back into bubbling liquid and it burned the living piss out of me. He came over all in EMT mode and taking care of my poor splattered neck. 5. He loves the old people in his life. I can take a room full of teenagers any day but give me a room full of old people and I am at a loss. Brandon on the other hand, can talk to old people all day, every day. He loves to hear their stories and just hams it up with them. It was so cool to be able to watch him with both of his grandfathers before they passed. He would just sit and hang on every word his Daddy Bob would say. His whole face just changes when he is in their presence and I adore him for it. 4. He does all the yard work. Enough said. 3. He is so good to help out around the house and probably does way more than his fair share if we were honest about it. He is always vaccuming (he really likes it actuallly), cleaning up the kitchen, folding laundry, and the list goes on. There is no division of labor in our house and it's amazing to have someone as helpful as him. 2. I've always said I fell in love with the boy for his smile and it still stands. He has the most infectious smile ever. He grins from ear to ear and it's precious. 1. He loves me. He adores me actually. It has taken me a while to be comfortable with someone loving me like he does but he does it so well.

Nursery

Brandon and I have a really bad habit. We like to start things and if it doesn't get done within a day or two we usually just leave it there and think that by some miracle it will get done. We have a 1,000 little projects here and there that we haves started but never finished. We are notorious for painting a room and then stopping at the touch ups and therefore leaving it looking like CRAP (for proof look at my living room, kitchen, bathroom and guest bedroom.) So I knew when we started the nursery that we needed to have plenty of time to get it done. Not just a let's start on Friday and see what we can finish by dinner on Saturday night type of thing.

The good news was that Brandon had actually already done one major part back in November. Actually, the day we found out that we were pregnant, Brandon was laying down hardwoods in the nursery room to prepare for our home study. So that part was already checked off the list.

Back when we thought Kennedy was a Titus , we had planned on a fireman themed nursery. Well as much as I believe in women's equality I didn't really think that Kennedy would love a fire themed nursery. So....I had to turn my brain into girl mode.

Now let's just go ahead and put this out there. I am not a pink person (yes I know my blog is semi-pink but I'm talking like overboard, throw up, pink!) I really have never have been a pink person. Closest I ever came was a stint of really liking purple. I hate purple now. So I had to come up with something that was girly but didn't look like Pepto Bismol was sponsoring my daughter's room.

That's when I found her bedding. It was perfect. Blue, greens, some yellowish/golden color, chocolate and white. Although it sounds boyish the paisley all over the bedding really made it look cute for a girl.

The next idea was the idea of the tree and I am so happy with the way that it turned out in her room. I was going to order stencils at one point but then convinced myself that if I can decorate a cake....I could decorate a wall. I free-handed the tree and had a lot of fun.

The next idea was the little girl silhouette that I found on Pinterest. I decided to paint her on there (with the help of power point and a projector.) I had been contemplating a quote from the ever famous Winnie the Pooh (also found on Pinterest) when my mind took over and the conversation went a little something like this....

Me: Awwwwww she's cute
Me: Awwwwww the dandelions that she's blowing are soaring through the air
Me: Heck yes! One should not feel compelled to creep when one feels the impulse to soar. Dr. Potts would love it.

So there you have it. I threw it up in powerpoint, painted some butterflies and it all came together.

I really am so proud of her room and can't wait to finish it up. This time we actually have to finish it up because she needs some blinds. Like serious blinds. That room gets sun from the minute it comes up till the minute it goes down.

We also have to finish curtains and bookshelves (Brandon's daddy is making those.) My grandmother's rocking chair is also being recovered for the room. I love that I have that rocking chair in my possession and can not wait to rock her in it. I really can't wait to watch my mom rock Kennedy in the same rocking chair where she once rocked with me.

Other than that a crib mattress and a baby and we are all set! :)