**Under Contruction**

I realize my blog is a MESS... I'm working on it. ;)

Avery just waking up from his nap...

Islander Artichoke & Spinach Dip

I will be taking this along with a Seven Layered Bean Dip to my parent's Christmas party. =)

Ingredients
2 (16 oz.) loaves King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg. (1 oz.) ranch-style dip mix
1 can (13-15 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed & well drained
1 can (8 oz.) sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional


Preparation
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Carefully hollow 1 loaf, leaving 1-inch on sides and bottoms.
Cube removed bread and additional loaf.
Place bowl and cubes on baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Blend mayo, sour cream and dip; mix together in a large bowl.
Add artichoke hearts, spinach and water chestnuts; mix well.
Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
Transfer to bread bowl and serve with toasted bread cubes.
To serve hot: Stir in 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese; microwave on high 4-5 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally.
Transfer dip to bread bowl and serve with toasted bread cubes.
Makes 10-12 servings.

Christmas Breakfast- Whitfield Style

Impossibly Easy Breakfast Bake

Ingredients
2 packages (12 oz each) bulk pork sausage
1 medium bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
1 cup Original Bisquick mix
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 eggs

Directions
Heat oven to 400F. Grease rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches. Cook sausage, bell pepper and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir together sausage mixture, potatoes and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese in baking dish.

Stir Bisquick mix, milk, pepper and eggs until blended. Pour into baking dish.

Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 1 to 2 minutes longer or just until cheese is melted. Cool 5 minutes.

Served with fruit... and coffee for Mama, chocolate milk for Daddy, and some white grape juice for Avery. =)

Boots with tha furrr...

My sister Amy, bought Avery the cutest little boots. They are just like the Robeez boots but half the price. Avery loves them! They are so comfy and warm! If have a little one these boots are a MUST for these cold days.

Go getcha some Ministar Fur Bootz at Target. =)

Here is my little guy modeling his boots-

Daddy & Avery Comparison

Avery 1 yr old & Michael 1 yr old (more or less)

Look what Nana bought Avery!

Pottery Barn Kids "My First Anywhere Chair" & "Boys Canvas Bucket".

Love them!

Ummm....

so after weighing on the scale in front of my husband (who wasnt supposed to look) this morning his reaction was, "Oh WOW! No more fast food for you... I mean us."

Yikes!

Wanna know the really sad part? I have lost 2 lbs.

Avery got a message from Santa!!

Click here to see Santa's message.

My baby is growing up and getting TOUGH!

Date: 12/13/2009
Time: Approx 6:45pm
Place: Nana's Living Room
Crime: Somebody hurt my baby's feelings!

*To protect the NOT-so-innocent we will call the suspect child "Little Turkey".

Description:
I saw Avery walk into the living room where I heard "Little Turkey" playing. Due to "Little Turkey's" past criminal history, I followed Avery. Neither "Little Turkey" or Avery could see me watching from around the corner. Apparently "Little Turkey" threw a foam bowling pin at Avery as he entered the living room. Avery began the "stare down" which is always followed by a big cry. "Little Turkey" noticed that Avery was about to cry and tried to make him smile. No such luck. Avery's bottom lip quivered while his eyes-teared up. He took a few deep breaths and looked away from "Little Turkey". And what did he do? He pulled it together! He actually controlled his emotions and fought his hardest not to shed a tear. I, of course, picked him up and kissed all over him telling him that he was the best baby ever and that "Little Turkey" will get his someday soon.


Such a simple thing but such a proud moment in a Mommy's life. (Such a sad day in "Little Turkey's" Mommy's life...hahaha. You know who you are and you know we love you!)

Video of Avery Walking & Playing

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Just us doing a lil' Christmas dance!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

1 Year Follow-up Appt

As most of you may know, Avery was diagnosed with DG Galactosemia (Duarte) at 6 weeks old. Michael and I were devastated since we didnt know too much about the diagnosis. Thank God it turned out to be DG and not Classic Galactosemia. DG is looked at as a benign disorder since Avery will never have any symptoms or effects from it. I thought that having to stop breastfeeding was the end of the world. Avery was such a good breastfeeder and I remember him really having a hard time stopping. He would cuddle up to me and I would just cry because I couldnt feed him like he wanted. After a couple of weeks of not breastfeeding, Avery was fine with the bottle and from then on DG has not affected our lives at all. Thank the Lord for that!

So today, we had a one year follow up appt with Dr. Waber of Children's Medical Center. I am so thankful for him. He really explains things well and helps calms your nerves. Avery of course was super nervous due to his crazy amount of shots yesterday. Once the nurse had me sit him on the scale he started crying and shaking. He cried while they took all of his measurements which was so sad. I couldnt believe how scared he was. Once I picked him back up he wrapped his little arms around my neck and wouldnt let go for anything. Poor baby! While Dr. Waber was talking to us Avery continously waved "bye bye" to him so that he would leave. It was sad but pretty funny. He gave us the option of doing a blood test. He said that it was basically to give parents peace of mind to go ahead with milk and dairy products. I personally feel very comfortable with our decision of giving Avery up to 8 oz of whole cow's milk per day along with soy milk. So I told Dr. Waber we would opt out of the blood test. He said that was perfectly fine since he has never seen a child with DG at 1 year of age have anything to be concerned about with their GALT levels. I was so happy to have the option not to do the blood test and one day Avery will thank me. =)

Avery was given the okay to consume any and all milk products. If anyone needs any info about DG please ask me. I would be happy to chat with ya about it. It is a very rare disorder so there is not alot of info out there about it. I would have loved to be able to speak with someone who had experienced it first hand when I first found out about Avery having DG.

On our way out I took a picture of Avery in front of the huge Christmas tree that they have at Children's.

Avery's 12 mos well-baby check up

On Monday Avery had his 12 mos well-baby check up. Dr. R did the usual weight, height and head check. I honestly cant remember all of the exact measurements but he was 85% for weight, 90% for height, and of course >95% for head. Avery loves Dr. R and always gives her lots of giggles and grins. She is a great pediatrician. I am so thankful that we found her so close to home. Now this check up wasnt all fun. Avery got SIX shots!! I was a little hesitant but Dr. R assured me it would be okay to do them all instead of having to come back. On top of his 12 mos vaccinations he got his 2nd dose of the seasonal flu shot and his first round of the H1N1 shot. The reason I gave the go ahead for so many shots at once was because he usually takes shots like a champ. When he got his first flu shot he didnt even flinch. But yesterday it was a totally different story. He tensed up his whole little body and would jerk with each poke. He was crying so hard that he was having a hard time catching his breath. I started faning him in hopes that he would take a breath which he eventually did. But I will NEVER allow that many shots at once ever again! He whimpered and pouted all the way home. Its so hard to see your baby cry especially when your kid never cries. Avery is super tough so I rarely see that side of him. I was heartbroken the rest of the day as I'm sure Avery was too.

To make it up to him, we went out to Northpark after he was able to take a nap and recoup from his tramatic doctors appt. We met my sisters and their kiddos for some lunch then went to check out the Trains. The kids really enjoyed the trains. I definitely recommend taking your kids out to see it. After the trains we hung around for the 2 puppet shows in the mall. The first one was a sweet little puppet show about Santa's Toy Shoppe. It had songs which the kids loved dancing to and was pretty cute. The second puppet show was kinda crazy. The entire show was Scrooge making fun of the passing shoppers. It was funny until he singled out my nephew Cameron in the audience and told him that he wasnt getting anything for Christmas. My sisters and I were in shock! I'll admit, it was funny because he was kidding with him but at 4 years old you just dont really get the joke. Poor Cammie! So I dont recommend this puppet show if you have little ones who will get their feelings hurt.

Sissy & Avery waiting for the Scrooge Puppet Show to start

The Scrooge Puppet Show Set

Avery's 1st Birthday Party

Here are some pics of the decor & such:

"

Can't believe its already been ONE year!!

I cannot believe that Avery is already one year old! (Just to remind you, here is what we were doing this time last year.) The past 12 mos have been by far the best 12 mos of my life and I think Michael would say the same. I've never known a love so true and 100% real as the love I have for Avery. When I saw his heart beating at 6 weeks pregnant... I fell in love. When I felt his first kick... I fell deeper in love. When I heard his cry... I fell even deeper in love. When I saw his face for the first time... When I held him for the first time...When I kissed his wittle chubby cheeks....When I cuddle him close and breastfed him for the first time... I have fallen in love all over again with this little boy millions of times in the last year. His smile and giggle can seriously make anyone happy. I feel soo blessed to have him as MY son.

If I thanked God every minute of everyday for the rest of my life, it still wouldnt be enough thanks to God for blessing Michael & I with Avery. I cant wait to see what this next year has in store for Avery. He is so smart and learns so much from day-to-day. I am soo happy that Michael has been such a great provided for our family and made it possible for me to stay home with Avery. I havent missed a thing and for that I am so incredibly grateful. I know that the "toddler years" will probably be a little rougher but with all the books I have read lately, I feel prepared! Bring on the temper tantrums! Well, not really because I'm hoping that Avery will continue to be the happiest little boy around.

One Day Old-2008

One Year Old-2009

Happy 1st Birthday Avery!!!

We woke Avery up today and gave him a birthday cinnamon roll. He loved it! We also gave him a birthday card that has Elmo singing when you open it which he was pretty amazed with. Since his party isnt until Sunday we decided to give him a bday gift today.

We bought him......drumroll please....

An Elmo Live Encore!

Avery would just get this shy smile on and look at him out of the corner of his eye. He was so embarassed when he first saw Elmo. I'm pretty sure he thinks its the "real" Elmo from Sesame Street. Elmo sits on this bar stool type thing and tells jokes and stuff like a comedian.

Its pretty darn cute!

Sideways Video

Why is it that I always feel the need to video my child holding the camera vertically? I swear, this will be something that I will always forget until I go to upload my videos. GRRR! So if you have a laptop, you may need to flip it on its side to view this video and if you have a desk top, then you're just out of luck buddy. Anyways, try to enjoy my baby boy walking around talking and being way too busy playing to pay attention to Mommy.

30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge

I stumbled across a very touching blog a few months back about a little girl who came into this world early and had alot of medical problems. She was born around the same time as my niece Olivia and has the same name as my other niece Kailey, so I got "attached" and started following Kayleigh's story. Sadly, sweet Kayleigh passed away a couple of months ago. Since then I found that Kayleigh's mom, Aimee (same name as my sister Amy- Kailey's mom) has a blog called the Women's Marriage Ministry. Its such a great blog! Aimee provides such great advice and inspiration to wives. She and her husband have been through sooo much with losing a baby that I think there is definitely something to be learned from a couple who can survive such a tragedy.

Anyways, I am going to try the 30 Day Husband Encouragment Challenge. I could for sure use some ideas on how to show my appreciation to Michael as I'm sure some of you other wives could too. Check out the Women's Marriage Ministry blog and join me in this challenge. =)

** I highly recommend this to my friend Melissa.

This just might be the way to get Will to put a ring on it!**

I've been tagged...

My friend, Brandi tagged me as a TAM (True Authentic Mom). This means I have to list 5 reasons that I am a TAM and I added pics because I'm fancy like that.

Here goes:
1.) I definitely think Table Toppers are the greatest invention EVER!

2.) Sani-Hands.... in the house, car, diaper bag, purse, jean pocket and basically anywhere else I think I may need a stash on hand.

3.) I like schedules/routines and I understand how extremely important they are. Dinner at 5pm, bath at 6pm and bedtime at 7pm are a MUST in my house!

4.) I have a few more stretch marks, carry around a few more pounds and my boobs are definitely a little less firm than before Avery but I wouldnt change a thing. Each little imperfection is totally and completely worth it! Oh and on that note, SCREW HEIDI KLUM!

5.) I always said I'd never have a car with diapers and toys all over the place and with cheerios on the floor. But I do, and I'm okay with it.


Now I get to tag 5 TAM's:

Juli
Amy
Sandy
Cindy
April

Cupcake Toppers

I decided to make some snazzy little cupcake toppers like I have seen on etsy for Avery's birthday this weekend. They turned out so cute! Now I just need to add the stick.





We ordered the most ginormous cupcakes from Costco. I have heard so much about these cupcakes! And on top of being super yummy and HUGE they are C.H.E.A.P. $15.99 for 20

Soooooo Annoyed!!!

the end.

Me + Baby Gap = Total Love Affair

I love, love, love Baby Gap! Shoot I love Gap, Gap Body, Gap kids....basically everything Gap. Its a nice mommy-friendly place to shop as I feel like Express is more "bar-hopping clothes". And lets be honest, hopping bars is not quite my thing anymore. Gap is a great excuse to make the trip over to North Park (which is another one of my loves) instead of going to rinky dink Firewheel.

I got some super cute stuff there recently.
Here are a few of my favs:

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Just to remind you....

Here is the 2008 Cousins X-mas picture:

Last year's picture is what I like to call "Controlled Chaos".
This year.... not so much!

Cousins X-mas Photo Shoot- 2009

We have made it a tradition of getting a Christmas picture of all of the kids on my side of the family. In 2007, there was just Luke, Cameron and Kailey. In 2008, Olivia and Avery were added to the group. And this year we added Nathan. Thats 6 kids! I am convinced that it is IMPOSSIBLE to get 6 kids (5yrs old and younger) to sit still for a picture all at once. My sisters and I were BEAT! We had 6 kiddos going 6 different directions. Totally out numbered!

Hope you are happy mom!!

Here is a sneak peek of the chaos:

I think Avery's theme song of the day was Puff Daddy's- Cant Nobody hold me Down.

"Can't nobody hold me down..
Oh no, I got to keep on movin"

My lil jumper was all jumped out!

Every morning when I go in to get Avery up he is jumping in his crib like a mad man. Today when I walked in with the camera it freaked him out a little and he just sat down...haha.

Here is the video:

Diddy is 'bout to run this city!!

*Don't hold it against her that she is a Bengals fan.*

My cousin Leigh Ann (aka Diddy) and her husband Derek are coming to stay with us as well as my cousin Sonia (Diddy's sister). I love these girls! They are such a blast to hang out with and we always have an awesome time together. I am definitely getting super excited but I have so much to do before they come.

-Get stank ass Sophie groomed.
-Organize the guest room.
-Buy air mattress.
-Clean the house.
-Decide if Bama will stay here or go to the in-laws.

Other things that need to be done this week:
-Get Alysha's payment info and close out her party order
-Clean my parents house
-Grocery shop
-Exchange Avery's Gap sweater for a different size
-Find something to wear to Justin's 30th bday this weekend
-Workout
-List table on Craigslist

Thanksgiving Recipes

I'll be making Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Fluff and Macaroni & Cheese along with a pie (I'm still deciding which one). I just recently realized that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the fact that its all about being grateful for the people in your life. My family does it up big and this year our family from Ohio are coming in to town. I love that there is no present madness involved. Its just about getting together and having a great meal with your loved ones.

While strolling around Target tonight I came across these awesome frozen sweet potatoes which I will use to make the sweet potato recipe.


Also, my mom bought my sister's and I each a really cool pie dish and pie crust cutters from William Sonoma. Can't wait to use them!