Wednesday, December 29, 2010

A Christmas Trio

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! Like a beautiful and delicious three layer cake, it's best described in three parts-Christmas eve, Christmas day, and the winter wonderland afterwards!

On Christmas Eve we started a new family tradition- a birthday cake for Jesus. We read the Christmas story from Matthew, sang happy birthday and enjoyed our cake as we celebrated the true meaning of Christmas. A few days earlier we enjoyed a joint church service to rejoice in the saviors birth and great sacrifice for us-a gift beyond measure and much greater than anything we will ever recieve wrapped under the tree. Thank you Jesus for your great and never ending kindness to us!
On Christmas morning the three of us shared a special time at home exchanging our family gifts and watching Evan with excitement as he welcomed his very merry first Christmas. At 8 months, I think he was more interested in the wrapping and bows, but was spoiled sweet none the less! After his morning nap, we headed to my parents house for more presents and a delicious prime rib Christmas dinner.

 Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way-oh what fun it is to ride to Goldsboro for Christmas day! See father and son looking dapper and dashing in their new winter wear...
After an entire day full of ribbons, bows and gifts galore, we wrapped up Christmas with ice cream Sundays, a fun game and a surprise giftcard palooza (which later made for an amazing Smithfield shopping trip-or two)!
The day after Christmas we were able to spend time and celebrate with Chris' mom and family who came down from PA. It would seem that they brought the northern weather with them as we awoke to a winter wonderland that day. White as far as the eye could see-and just one day after Christmas! It's now 3 days later and there's still snow and ice on the ground-watch out Wilson!
Evan's first Christmas was one to remember-thanks mom and dad, grandmas and grandpas, for making it so special!  Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas weekend! :-)

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Bows are not for boys

 Dear Mommy,
In case you didn't notice,

I do NOT-well, maybe a little bit...

 Nope, definitely do not...

   
do bows!

Monday, December 20, 2010

A Gingerbread House Decorating Party!

Graham crackers, royal icing, great friends and candy galore makes for a  delightful gingerbread house decorating party!! I was SO excited to host this delicious get together-what a sweet success it was!




And the best part is, the houses turned out super cute! A special thanks to all the mama's and their little elves for coming over-it was a ton of fun and hopefully a "first annual!"
 

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Winter news

There's nothing like a parade of pictures to catch up on December! I've been so busy living and enjoying life lately that I haven't taken out much time to stop and blog about it. Between the holiday hustle and bustle and the ever present needs of our 7 month old bouncy baby boy, December has warped by us lightning speed and left us breathless in it's dust-or should I say snow!

Where to start?! Last Friday we were Raleigh bound for Chris' birthday. Happy 26th babe!
While we ended up having to take back his main gift, he did happen upon a brand new "Droid"  phone at Best Buy, and was more than happy with the trade off. And, since the phone was FREE that weekend, it was a Win-Win-Win situation for all. :-) He also got new running shoes and shorts, and is excited to put them to good use once we get our gym membership going.

Evan is almost 8 months old now and I can hardly believe it! I'm not comfortable at all with this new age, it's far too close to the big "one" and I want him to stay my sweet chubby cheeked baby forever! Seriously, could someone invent a "time freezer?" It would totally make Regis and Kelly's top 10 Christmas gifts, and I would be first in line!
On the work front, Chris continues to love his job at BB&T-especially during this fun Christmas season of cookie swaps, holiday parties and secret santa! :-) For me, this month marks a huge milestone as I wrap up work with GlaxoSmithKline to delightfully don the title of full time stay at home mom! Working as full time home manager, wife and mother is an honor and joy, and Chris and I are so thankful that moving to Wilson has made this dream a reality for us!

Also headlining the Scott family news this week-Dinner with the Powell's and company, Christmas shopping, a second snow and goodies from the Grandmas! Evan says thank you for his adorable winter outfit and soft, cuddly Christmas story bear...I think somebody's ready for his first Christmas!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

7-and a half- Month Summary

Okay so I'm a little late w/ this 7 month update-I plead December! To start, I frequently turn to the "Babywise mom" blog for helpful hints and references for this or that. I especially find her "baby summary's" by week tab helpful, so here goes Evan's 7 month update in the same manner. I am really loving this age!

Nursing
Over the past month we shifted to a 4 hour schedule and he is now down to nursing 4x/day. Thankfully, the transition was smooth as butter so I know he was good and ready. After much deliberation, I decided to drop the dream feed cold turkey and it went surprisingly well. The next night was a repeat success, and so on...praise God!

Solids and finger foods
Evan is now eating stage 1 & 2 solids for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and enjoying his share of Gerber "puffs" for snacks throughout the day. He isn't into self feeding as much yet as he still has the fist thing going on and hasn't yet found his pincer skills-but with his appetite and determination, I'm sure it's just around the corner! We also started his sippy cup(water) at 6 months, and have almost got that down save the head tilting part. He also likes to play with his food, often putting his fingers in his mouth, sucking down every last drop that fell on his bib, and banging his sippy cup like a drum. Mealtime manners-it's a work in progress!

Sleeping & naps
Nothing too new here, he still sleeps like a dream through the night and takes his naps by the clock. He is still taking that third nap, and we've been yo yo-ing between taking/dropping it these past few weeks. I think I've finally decided to let go and give it another week or two since he obviously still needs it, and then get to work phasing it out as our schedule permits.

Eczema
At around 3-4 months it became apparent that Evan's skin was getting increasingly irritated, dry and red. Like father like son, Evan has classic childhood eczema. While it's fairly common(occurring in 1 in 5 infants), the odds are all but multiplied when genetic. It ebbs and flows with the weather and what I suspect to be food allergies of some kind-fall was wonderful but this cold, dry wintery season is no fun!
Because there is no real cure, all we can do is moisturize, moisturize and moisturize, and treat symptoms as they arise. We are currently treating his flares w/ hydro cortisone, but all that really does is mask the physical symptoms(aka redness) so the best thing I've found is to be diligently pro-active and avoid the known triggers. What this means to our daily living is being careful w/ his clothing(cotton) and diapers, using "free" detergents, and being selective with our soaps and bathing routines. We use a humidifier in his room to keep moisture in the air, and also lotion him up at least 2x a day using Aquaphor or Eucerin cream. I'm praying this is something that he will grow out of with age, but if not, that's okay-there are much worse things out there than dry skin and I'm so thankful for my healthy boy! Babywise mom also has a great post on eczema-check it out here for more information.

Milestones
Crawling? Almost but not yet. Currently, his favorite mode de transoportaion is rolling.

The other thing that stands out to me from last month is his new vocabulary. He is a chatterbox when he wakes up in the morning! It started w/ the "Baaa's" and then the  "Dadadadaaas" and recently, Maaaamaamaama." I'm not sure he's quite connecting the words w/ their meanings yet, but I can dream! On a related note, he's also become increasingly attentive to his "baby Einstein" dvds and favorite books; it's so fun to see the little wheels turning behind his eyes as he continues to learn new things everyday.

Finally, our schedule:
7am-Wake up, nurse
7:30-Breakfast, usually rice cereal w/ Apple, then playtime
9am-Nap
10:30-Wake up, nurse, playtime and errands
12:00-Lunch, usually a veggie
1pm-Nap
2:45-Wake up, nurse, playtime
5:30ish-Family dinner(veggie + fruit)
6-6:45-Short nap, then nurse, playtime
7:30-Pj's, story, bedtime

Monday, December 6, 2010

Weekend Countdown

This first weekend of December was one to remember. Here are my top five favorite highlights, in very particular order. ;-)

5. Sweet, buttery movie theater popcorn
4. A delicous lunch in Goldsboro at Ruby Tuesday's to celebrate our December birthdays
3. Our first North Carolina snow and during the Wilson Christmas parade no less!
2. Getting my Christmas cards in the mail
and...drumroll please...


1. The engagement of my sister to her longtime beau Ryan. We are so excited for them and I still can't believe my little sister is getting married. Welcome to the family Uncle Ryan, and great job picking out the ring!! :-)

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Entering his Courts

We are truly blessed beyond measure. With every Thanksgiving I'm newly reminded of just how much I have to be grateful for. This year especially, I'm thankful for this little turkey-I could gobble him right up(and I do)!
I'm grateful for so many things-to name them all would be impossible to do, so I'll name just a few...

Thankful to the giver of all good gifts, for grace freely given
Thankful for my handsome husband, my indelibly sweet son and forever family
Thankful for my feathered nest
For freedom
and fall, thankful to the changer of seasons, the artist of life
Thankful for Christmas music and gingerbread cookies, yankee candles
and sugary buttercream
Thankful good books to read and stories to share
for brightly colored winter hats, and a new frost slowly dancing in the air
Oh the joys there!

"Come into His gates with thanksgiving. Enter his courts with praise." -Psalm 100:4

Saturday, November 13, 2010

There is a mouse in my house...

and his name's not Mickey! I went to put away some of Evan's snacks tonight in the pantry when I caught em' red handed...it still gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it! There is a mouse in my house-and no amount of ryhming can make this mouse-catastrophe cute! After promptly slamming the pantry door and jumping back a few feet with a scream, both my husband and mother in law came to the rescue. Of all the things I had in mind for Saturday night, mouse hunting was not at the top of the list.
Taken from my safe perch atop the counters...
Armed with a flashlight, a shoebox(and temporarily a kitchen knife), Chris started to slowly move things around in the pantry-nothing. Then, as he lowered himself to the floor and pointed the flashlight upwards-what would you know there was a not so little tail just dangling there between our pantry racks. In between our spices if you really want to know. Quickly the little mouse scurried away, down the shelves, across the kitchen floor and in the blink of an eye, he ran for safety under the stove. Rats!

After taking the bottom shelf out of the stove, thoroughly examining the surrounding cabinets and finally pulling the stove away from the wall-nothing! For now, he's narrowly escaped. Back to the pantry, we had to totally clean it out, and trash a good amount of groceries that we discovered had little holes in them or that we suspected he had been on...gross!!! Again, heebie jeebies from my fingertips to my toes. So what are we left with after the unsuccessful mouse hunt? A mess of a kitchen, trash bags of wasted food, a sink full of things to sanitize and.....
one mousetrap.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Adventures in baby food

Evan is a joy of an eater-not picky in the least can you imagine? At least, not yet! He seems to like almost everything we give to him, and even if he makes a face(ie-peas), he still gobbles down every last spoon full. Thank you Lord, for not giving this child my tastebuds!

Making my own baby food was something I really wanted to do for a long time. But let's face it-it's a lot of extra work! Plus, there are perfectly healthy, natural and nutritious baby food options of the jarred variety. That being said, while I'm still working we have adopted a blended diet of homemade and store bought food. It's been a fun adventure learning to make baby food, getting to know my vegetables as well as my food processor.  It's a little intimidating at first, but really very simple once you get the jist. I also discovered that while generally it's much more cost effective to make your own baby food, some things can be more expensive to make at home-like apples. And with all the extra labor, well, Earth's Best wins that war!

Evan's favorite food by far is sweet potatoes. Lucky for me, this is an easy one to buy and make at home, and with a wonderful Fall scent to boot! So far we've made sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin and carrots. I don't have a pro-steamer just yet, so as far as most of my prep goes I've mostly stuck to baking.The very first thing I made was a winter squash, and I was so excited I just had to document the process!

First, one butternut squash, found at Target on sale for .99c/pound. Hello Mr. Squash, you look mighty yummy today!
 Like most fruits and veggies that are headed to the oven, I didn't worry about skinning. I simply cut into four peices and faced meat side down in about an inch or two of water. Because this was a squash, and the squash belongs in the pumpkin family, I did need to scoop out the insides and seeds first.

Into the oven it went at 400 degrees for about 45 min-1hr until soft. Once they past the "fork test," I let them cool and scooped scooped the good stuff directly into the food processor with a pinch of water. Fire it up, pulse, pulse and baby food here we come!
I was surprised to see how much food one squash made, and was able to freeze a bunch for later. I had been  recycling the baby food jars to store it in but just recently bought an ice cube tray, which was doubly worth my one dollar and forty cents! In addition to being perfectly portioned, the ice tray is really nice to use because once you let the food sit and freeze over night, you can simply pop em' out the next morning into a big, marked zip lock bag.

And voile, dinner is served-with a side of trial error, a pinch of patience and small sprinkling of cinnamon! :-)

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Harris Teeter Super Doubling Nov. 3-9th!

It's time to grab those coupons and go! In the circus of moving, I haven't yet had time to organize and hit up this sale, but am super excited to go grocery shopping this week(especially now that Harris Teeter is in my backyard!). If you hadn't noticed by now, I think it's safe to come out of the closet and say that I am a couponer! Call me frugal if you will, but I am so proud to cut coupons and make the best of our family's resources. Saving money and finding great deals on groceries takes time, organization, and prudent meal planning. The rewards? Priceless! Happy budget, healthy tummy...and, it's fun to boot. Call me a nerd, but I really look forward to cutting and organizing coupons from the Sunday newspaper. Life on the wild side...haha!

While the following is no secret by any stretch, come in close and listen to my two favorite couponing resources. Ready? First is the "Southern Savers" website and secondly, WRAL's "Smart Shopper" blog by Faye Prosser. If you can snatch a few extra minutes in the day, they would be very well spent taking a look at those sites!

Here are a few tips from Faye on this weeks Harris Teeter's super double coupons:

Store Policy Reminder: 
 *HT will Super Double coupons worth up to $1.98 face value. A $1.50 coupon will double to $3.00. A $1.00 coupon will double to $2.00. A $2.00 coupon will not double at all and will only be taken at face value ($2.00).

*HT will super double/double up to 20 coupons per day. Period. End of story. Spouse's cards registered with the same address are linked because the policy is 20 per household, per day.

* HT policy is to double up to 3 identical coupons (as long as you buy the product required for each coupon, of course). So, if you have five $1.00 coupons for a product, the policy is to only super double the first three.

* Rainchecks can be written for a limit of three unless otherwise stated in the ad. Make sure you get rainchecks for items out of stock and use the rainchecks at the next promotion since they don't expire!

*BOGO's pro-rated.

Be on the lookout for...

Dairy & Frozen:
Coffee-mate Original, 32 oz $2.85 - $1.50 printable = FREE

Buitoni Linguini and Angel Hair pasta on sale for $1.50 - $1 printable coupon = FREE

Country Crock margarine 15 oz tub BOGO through 11/9 - .40 printable

Dannon Activia yogurt, 4 pack $2.50 - $1 coupon from 10/10 (expires 11/7) = .50

Green Giant Frozen Boxed Veggies will be on sale $1 each - .60/3 coupon from 10/3 = .60 each

Nestle refrigerated ready to bake cookies on sale for $3 through 12/28 - $1 printable coupon = $1.00

Grocery
Mentos Gum $1.50 - $1 coupon from 10/3 = FREE

Bush’s grillin beans $1.99 - $1 coupon from 10/3 = FREE

Kikkoman soy sauce $2.00 - $1 printable = FREE (if sale continues)

Muellers pasta, 8 oz macaroni .79 - $1/2 printable = FREE

Martha White Muffin Mix BOGO for .57 each - .55/2 from 8/8 = .02 each

Chef Boyardee canned pasta $1 through 4/5 - .75/2 coupon from 10/3 = .25 each

Campbells condensed cooking soups $1.28 (.80 if sale continues) - $1.50/3 printable coupon = .28 each if not on sale, free if sale continues

Quaker Instant Oatmeal in boxes $3.39 through 12/28 - $1 coupon from 9/12 = $1.39


Non-Food:
Reach Floss $1.65 - $1 coupon from 5/16, 10/10 = FREE

Dial Basics soap, 3 pack .99 - .35 coupon from 10/10 = .29

Colgate Total $2.50 through 11/9 - $1 coupon from 10/31 = .50

Pert Plus $2.99 - $1 coupon from 10/17 = .99

Pampers/Huggies diapers pack $8.99 - $1.50 coupon = 5.99



Thank you for being so generous Harris Teeter!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Moving...moving...and moved!

Well it's been a busy few days, but we are finally moved to Wilson! Of course we still have lots to do-boxes to unpack, a refrigerator to fill, carpets to febreez and all that jazz-but, we are happy to moved and in our new rental house.  This weekend will be full of cleaning back and forth and tying up our loose ends in Raleigh-but I plan on taking lots of pictures soon! A big thank you to all who generously gave of their time and hands to help us move. :-)

Welcome home Scott family!



Thursday, October 28, 2010

6 Months Old!

"Who me?"
 
Mama is so silly, can you believe all the pictures she takes of me? Sheesh! Anyways, she let me steal the blog for a minute to let you know what I'm up to these days. Pretty much just baby stuff. You know, putting anything and everything in my mouth(that pumpkin was yummo!), drueling all day long, making funny noises(especially when we go out to eat!), lookin' like a handsome little man and sitting up like a big boy. :-)
Curious is my name and explorin's my game-I'm keeping mommy on her toes these days! The Backyardigans is still my favorite cartoon and I love to wiggle and dance w/ Pablo the penguin. I like taking walks outside  in my stroller, am really ticklish, and my favorite toys right now are balls. Mommy tries to read lots of books to me, but they look so good I just can't resist trying to eat them all! On the other chubby little hand, I do not like puppy kisses, peas, and-ahem- falling off the bed (shhh...don't tell mommy I said that).

Most of all I love making mommy and daddy smile and laugh. They always tell me how thankful to God they are for me, and how much they love me, which makes me a pretty happy kiddo. :-)

Okay, well I better get to cruisin-I've got people to see, things to do, sweet potatoes to eat....see you soon!

Love,
Evan

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Bring on the boxes

Wer'e MOVING!!! Sound the bells, hooray hooray! After living in Wake Forest and Raleigh for the past 3 years, we are finally ready to start our lives in Wilson. We recently found a renter for our home who will be moving in mid November-which means, that's right...we gotta be outta here sooner than soon! After a busy few days raking the rental market in Wilson, God provided the perfect home at the perfect time. Just this afternoon we got the final application approval and green light from our credit checks. The deposit is in and we are on our way! As of this moment, it looks like we will be moving in ONE short week from now! And to think I doubted...God is so good to us, always faithful and never failing!
I am so excited about our new HOUSE in Wilson-no more townhome living around here! After our exhausting search this past Sunday, I had begun to think maybe we might have to settle on a home because of our rush and not be 100% happy about it-after all it would only be temporary. I was confronted head on with my vanity and pride as I caught myself cringe at dated bathrooms, an oven from the year 1812, and your great grandmother's wallpaper galore. At one point we were looking at a home that was pretty old and seriously dated-and even it was out of our monthly price range! "Oh boy," I thought to myself with a heavy sigh. Of course, as I stoped to remind my soul, we could and would be happy wherever God would have us-we are already blessed beyond measure!

But as only the Lord would work out, it turned out that a house that we really liked, which was previously taken off the market, suddenly became available the following day!  As I had been in close contact with the Realtor, we were the first in line and put in our application right away! And the rest is history. It's a beautiful home in a great location-and best of all, right in our price range. Chris and I are so excited about moving to Wilson to be closer to our church family, and couldn't be happier with our new home. Hopefully this time next year we'll be able to sell our town home in Raleigh and buy in Wilson, but in the meantime we could not be happier with our rental house. Can I get an Amen?!

Between becoming landlords on our end and getting everything lined up as renters, juggling work, baby and moving-I think it's safe to say we've got a lot on our plate! Something tells me this week is going to be a circus...bring on the boxes! :-)

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Little Gym Halloween Party

On Saturday we shared some much needed fun at "The Little Gym's" Halloween party. I'm so thankful for our special mommy and me time in Evan's "Bugs" class at the Little Gym, and was super excited to show off my most adorable little monster. The party was a barrel of cuteness- here, there and everywhere. Sweet chubby children + colorful costumes, crenylin, wings, fins and more=cotton candy cute!
Have you every seen a more precious little Monster? I didn't think so...
Parachute time!

And that's not the end of this monster's ball! Stay tuned for more treats to come...

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Resting in Peace

On Friday evening, Chris' dad won his battle with MS and was made whole again in heaven.
Four Generations-taken about 2 months ago
Though we are sad and miss him more in these very new days, we are overwhelmingly thankful that he is no longer struggling so. Through this difficult time we are rejoicing in the faithfulness, nearness and peace found in Christ alone, and cherishing anew our time together.

Victor Irvin Scott
October 17, 1961-October 22nd, 2010

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

A picture tradition

The first year Chris and I went to the fair together, we were just babies, knee deep in the college and playing the dating game. See, I even curled my hair.  :-) We went with my awesome friend Amy, and she took this cute picture of us just outside of the hush puppy corn mill. Little did we know then that this special spot would become our fair photo tradition for years to come.
The next year at the fair we were were engaged(ie-straight hair). As we walked through the hush puppy house I immediately remembered the picture we took that year before. "We have to get another one," I whispered as we made our way through the crowded line.
Year three at the fair, the first as a married couple. Yep, it's official-three times in a row makes it a tradition.
The fourth year, last year in fact, I was 4 months pregnant and just starting to show. It's too bad we didn't get the belly shot! I remember it being much warmer last year and wondering were fall and my hoodies had gone to.

And this year, 2010, we welcomed a new little person into our family photo tradition. 
  
Each year we've walked the colorful landscape of the fair with new groups of people-the freshly dating, the engaged couple, the (insert myriad of witty adjectives here) newlyweds. Last year Chris was the guy with the slow, pregnant and *possibly whiny* wife, and now we have officially joined the "we packed too much for the stroller to carry, where's the camera, baby in tow,  we're losing shoes" club-and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Looking back at this time capsule of memories and photographs makes me excited to imagine what our family pictures will look like in the years to come. :-)