Looking ahead to 2012

We all like to talk about New Years resolutions. Heck, I'm even blogging about it right now! To start, I'm a big fan of setting goals, and would encourage anyone to pause and evaluate areas of improvement in their lives. The problem with me and these New Years resolutions though, is that they are often not well thought out, mostly planned at the last minute, and almost always forgotten come February. So this year I'm doing things a little differently, and choosing to focus on habits.

For each month, I've thought of a habit I'd really like to "create" and pursue in order to grow as a person and benefit my family. In addition, I'm going to work on "subtracting" or breaking a bad habit that I've found not to be beneficial to myself or my family. My hope is that our family routine will be greatly blessed over the course of the year by slowly and intentionally incorporating these simple goals. It may be a resolution game dressed up in a bear suit, but I'm excited about it nonetheless. :-) Here we go!

January:
"An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm all the days of her life...She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31 

*Habit to create: To embrace and cherish this time, our last month as a family of three. Practically, this means spending more creative one on one time with Evan, extending hospitality by having friends and families over for dinner, and being more intentional about spending quality time with my husband while it's still relatively quiet around here(you know, before baby #2 rocks our world).
*Habit to break: Giving too much of my free time(ie Evan's nap) away to facebook, email and online eye candy. Putting down the Iphone in order to spend my interests and affections on more worthwhile pursuits-serving and enjoying my family. 

February:
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16

 *Habit to create: Set apart a structured and unmovable quiet time every day for prayer, because Lord knows I'm gonna need that extra dollop of grace to take care of my two babies under two!
*Habit to break: Not to complain or grumble about the added responsibility and subtracted sleep that comes with two small children.

March:
"The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty." Proverbs 21:5

*Habit to create: Plan meals, save money. With the added expense of a new baby, being diligent to budget for and plan our family dinners is a must. While I already clip coupons and set aside time to prepare weekly menus and grocery lists, I'm fully aware that the extra time and demands of baby#2 will try to push me off the meal planning wagon. Lord willing, I'll hold on tight!
*Habit to break: Impulse buying at Target/grocery stores. These small and seemingly harmless "salt and snack" runs add up fast!
 ........................................
I purposely did not let myself get carried away with planning all twelve months, lest I get too ambitious and again, loose my way before I've begun. Knowing full well that tomorrow is never guaranteed and that the tide is always changing, I'm choosing simply to focus on the near future. Moreover, I anticipate our family lifestyle and needs will change immensely over the next few months with a new baby and potential move. So God willing, I'll be posting some new habits(and success stories!) better suited to that particular season-come what may-starting in April.

Joyful Joyful

"I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Being so early on in our life with littles, we're still working on establishing our own special traditions.  Christmas is probably my most favorite holiday, and we like to do it right. ;-) In addition to holiday pj's, Charlie Brown Christmas music, Elf,  gingerbread cookies and more, this year we added our first family advent calendar. While I really enjoyed it, I have to say I'm looking forward to the future when Evan is a bit older and A)can sit still and listen for longer and B)isn't more interested in the advent candy. I also did Jesus' birthday cake again, and it was scrum-didley-umptious! Otherwise, we're still looking for our Scott family "Christmas Groove" as we tend to do things a degree differently every year depending on family plans and traveling. This year Chris' mom and family came down to NC while my family spent the big day in Florida.

Grandma and Aunt Paige on Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we had a big present opening, honey baked holiday turkey eating time with Chris' family, preceded of course by quality grandma time and a trip or two to Raleigh for some last minute shopping. On Christmas day we opened our presents, just the three of us, before heading out for a morning of worship with Christ Baptist-as an aside, it was so special to share Christmas and Sunday morning this year, how appropriate! Later we enjoyed a laid back afternoon complete with naps, new toys and an early dinner at Denny's since our beloved Olive Garden(and everything else in Wilson) was closed. Next Saturday we will be celebrating with my side of the family-by golly that's three Christmases! :-)

And now, more pictures...
Where better to begin than with Jesus' birthday cake?

And from the Iphone...

   

 Good luck getting this kiddo to stand still!

Last but certainly not least, the following is a video clip of Evan's first glimpse of Christmas. Notice our rookie parent mistake-leaving out the big present for him to see first! This little guy was so enamored with his new "race along Chuck" truck and had very little interest in opening anything else after seeing it. That, a drawing pad and his new stuffed "Lightning Mcqueen" took the awards for favorites of the morning.

So thankful for our many good gifts this Christmas, and not just the ones under the tree. :-)

"Wowww"

Just quick post to document these tiny little wonders...

Evan is at a really cute stage where he is "wowed" by so many big and little things. And he expresses his excitement with an emphatic "WOOOWWW." It is really cute and fun to see that innocent little sparkle in his eyes as he takes in the world.

Just recently we went to the annual Christmas parade in downtown Wilson. Sitting contently atop daddy's shoulders, the parade inspired many an oooo, aaahh and woooowwww out of our little guy. The real life firetruck parked right behind our parade stop was also a constant source of awe...gotta love this life with boys!

Handsome Little Man

We went to downtown Wilson this past Saturday to take some pictures of our newly nineteen month old. I saw these colorful brick walls per chance the last time we were in the area, and had been daydreaming up a fun photoshoot ever since. While I love how the pics turned out, I can't tell you how much I'm dying for the day this little dude stays still and smiles on command ha! We came armed with gummy worms and firetrucks...but somehow our props backfired as that is all he was interested in. Exhibit A-

Once the first sour gummy was gone, he spent the rest of the time reaching out to, running after and looking for the rest of the bag. Lesson learned! In any case, my squirmy wormy did pretty well, and I think the camera agrees! :-)

 

Who knew boy's could accessorize so well? 

Oh my those dimples are darling!

 

Gobblin' good times

This year, as in the past, we were thankful to share not one but two thanksgiving meals. First, we brunched at Cracker Barrel with Chris' grandparents and family. Let's just say, we weren't the only ones with that bright idea; the place was packed! While we waited for our table, Evan entertained himself inside the infamous store with some vintage toy trucks, and took a short break to pose for this picture outside...of course no Cracker Barrel visit is complete without a seat in a rocker!

 

After lunch and a good long nap, we headed to Goldsboro for my mom's Thanksgiving feast. As always, the food was delicious and my husband thoroughly enjoyed himself...in fact, he's still stuffing down the turkey leftovers! Of course, I was thankful for my traditional Thanksgiving day hamburger. ;-)

On thanksgiving and every day of the year, we have so much to be thankful for. It's unfortunate how easily we can overlook or take for granted every new day we're given along with it's blessings, big and small. Because of this, I'm grateful for a day to pause and reflect on our many gifts bought from above, and am reminded once again to give thanks in all circumstances. For turkey, and hamburgers. :-)

This puzzle, that munchkin

Or in other words, my clever way of dressing up a "this n' that" type of post. I'll start with this very cool video of my smarty pants putting together his transportation puzzle. Notice the flurry of frustration with the firetruck. Yes, there are many teachable "flurries" nowadays!

Have I mentioned that a Dunkin Donuts opened in Wilson, and that my little munchkin loves blueberry munchkins? He had not one, not two, but four of them before church this past Sunday! He's a curious eating machine these Fall days and has taken a break from being Mr. Pickypants for the time being; lately he loves broccoli, and has been sharing in our usual dinner meals complete with corn and all! And-excuse my randomness-I also think it noteworthy to insert that he has now added the words "cold," "cool-as in dude," "down," "shoes" and "pig" to his growing vocabulary.

This week I am 27 weeks along with our other munchkin. I'm due for my Glucose testing on Wednesday, and have a follow up ultrasound next week-so this little dude is keeping us busy! Inside the womb, baby boy should weigh almost 2 pounds by now and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. Also, he's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, is very rapidly developing his brain, opening and closing his tiny eyes, and probably even sucking on his fingers. I can't wait for baby "C" to get here!!! (Yes, we have his name picked out for good now!). And, just for fun, here's a link to Evan's "27 week" update...I was surprised to see how similar I was feeling at this point with him!
Baby Evan on the inside-27 wks

It's funny because last time around we were completely enamored with all things Evan and all aboard the baby train, busy with preparations and just as pregnant with excitement over things to come. This time, I'm still consumed with all things Evan, and much less anxious about the preparations and "lists" that go into welcoming a new member of the family. Don't get me wrong, I'm still excited...just with a bit less edge and organizational OCD (let's just call it like it is)! Thank goodness for a toddler to keep my mind, feet, and online shopping elsewhere. :-)

18 months young

Has 18 months with my sweet boy gone by so fast? It feels like just yesterday we were looking at our chubby cheeked baby and wondering what this age would hold, what he would look like, sound like, act like, etc. Well here we are, and this is what 18 months looks like to us...

He grows more handsome every day, even when covered in Chef Boyardee. He loves trains and balls still, and has added trucks and dinosaurs to his favorites list. What does he eat? While he's turned into a Mr. Picky Pants at this age, he's gotta have his chicken nuggets(like his mommy no doubt!). Following close behind he loves ravioli, Pb&j sandwiches, and all things fruity.

He hasn't added to much to his vocabulary, but he's a studious little boy and understands us much more than I'd like to admit.  He does puzzles really well and can correctly point to just about any animal you ask him to in a book-smarty pants. Favorite book-"Curious George's big book of curiosity." In other big 18 month news, he is really good at giving kisses and hugs now, claps on command, bops his head to music, loves to drum, and is starting to run(in a size 5 almost 6 shoe).

Schedule wise, we are officially down to 1 nap, and he sleeps beautifully from about 12:15 to 3pm everyday(except for those Sundays!). Bedtime is still 7:30, sometimes 8pm. A true morning person, our little alarm clock is up and ready to go by 7am most mornings. I'm praying he'll start to sleep in a bit later before baby #2 arrives, but I'll take 7:30-7 any day of the week. (Aside-the toddler bed turned our world upside down for a good 2 weeks...after determining he was not ready for the jump, he's back in his crib-side up-and loving it.)

On the health front, he had his first bad cold and ear infection about a month ago, and after a few doctor's visits we ended up with a brand new, shiny firetruck nebulizer for breathing treatments. I'm so thankful for it because we needed it again with cold #2 just a month later. Luckily he doesn't seem to fall into the asthma category just yet, but lands nicely in the "reactive airway" camp-you bet I am dreading flu season! Can we just be bears and hibernate inside now until Spring? On the bright side, it looks like he may be outgrowing his eczema as it has improved tremendously over the past few months.

Along with 18 months has come more independence, and with freedom frustration. I'm noticing he's come to that age where he thinks he can do things he can't (aka run down stairs) and it's a hard reality to have to need mommy's help with those "big boy" things! Speaking of, we are working on the word "help" as I see him get much more frustrated with toys, ect. that he can't figure out right away. On this note of new challenges, I've also seen that he's become much more socially aware. All of a sudden, he realizes it when other kids take away the toy he's playing with(or when mommy puts the toy back on the shelf at Target), and it is not okay... oh, and did I mention it goes both ways? Sharing 101 here we come. No doubt baby brother will be a great teaching tool for this big life lesson!

Put simply(after the longest post ever), if I had to sum up his personality at this age in 3 words, it would be sweet, sensitive, and silly. :-) Happy 18 months Evan Matthew!

Stats:
Weight-23 pounds, 20th percentile
Height-32.5", 50th percentile
Head cir.-80th percentile

State Fair 2011: Picture parade

(Otherwise entitled "Alligator on a stick.")

Playing Catch Up

In light of life and general busyness, I've fallen a bit behind on my blogging. So, here are a few things I've been meaning to blog about but have somehow made it to the bottom of my to do list-you know, the place where things hardly ever get crossed off.  Disclaimer-ahead of you lies a string of random events and pictures in no particular order-consider yourself warned! ;-)

A few weeks ago Chris' step sister was married in our old stomping grounds, Wake Forest. This was Evan's second wedding and as most weddings go, a beautiful event. Of course, Chris' mom and family were able to come down so that was a great bonus to see them so soon after our PA vacation. Here's a picture of my handsome brown eyed boy in blue just outside the stone chapel.

This past week Chris participated in the local Junior Women's Club Golf Tournament here in Wilson. Evan and I showed up for a short time to support the BB&T team and also take some pictures. It was a great afternoon for golf and Evan loved practicing with daddy! Pretty much any activity that involves balls and hitting things is right up this boy's ally. Something tells me baseball will be a smashing hit.

On the home front, since it's been so nice outside I've been brainstorming some fun activities to do with the little guy outdoors. First up-homemade finger paint! I couldn't believe how easy this was. And, as a bonus, I found all of the very simple ingredients already residents of my pantry. Turning this...

into this...

was surprisingly easy. I'm not sure how 17 month old friendly it will be, but I can't wait to try it out! Thank you Pinterest for the great recipe-oh yea, I'm officially a "pinner" now and have thoroughly enjoyed browsing the virtual pinboards. While I was a bit hesitant to hop on the bandwagon at first, I'm so glad took I the plunge because I've already found a wealth of cost saving, crafty and creative ideas to fill our home, hearts and heads with!

In more seasonal news, my mom came up this past weekend and we had a great Fall day at Deans Farm. We took lots of pumpkin pictures and enjoyed an old fashioned hayride through the fields. Evan was a bit tired from a terrible nights sleep the day before, but I think he had a lot of fun riding behind the big tractor, picking out his pumpkin and seeing some farm animals.

 

 

  

Now if I can only convince him that pumpkins are not like balls to be thrown about than we'd be in good shape! Our poor pie pumpkins have barely survived his toddler touch haha. 

That wraps up my catch up for now. Time and energy willing, I'll hopefully post our annual state fair extravaganza and Evan's 18 month update before the new baby gets here! Speaking of, next week marks 24 weeks of being pregnant and I can barely believe that we are so near 6 months along. This little boy is busy and kicks and moves a lot more than I remember with Evan, but more on that later...

Falling for Fall

 I saw this on a friends blog, and couldn't resist doing one myself. Here are my top 10 reasons for loving this fabulous season of Fall, in no particular order.

1. All of those delicious smelling seasonal scents at Yankee candle and Bath and Body works. Every year I say that whoever has the job of naming these festive fall candles pretty much has the best job ever! Just the words "Frosted Pumpkin" and my heart skips a beat.

2. Pumpkins, candy corn, crunchy leaves and all things orange and yellow.

3. Running to the grocery store in a car that does not feel like a preheated oven. No air conditioning necessary, just roll down the windows and go!

4. Not shaving my legs everyday(ahem, or every other day) because pants are totally in now.

5. Taking morning and afternoon strolls sans an army of mosquitoes and annoying nats.

6. Dressing my child up in the most itchy, absurd and ridiculously cute Halloween costume I can find. This year, the honor goes to "Tigger." :-)

7. The perfect weather for playing outside- morning, noon and night.

8. The North Carolina State Fair-my hubby especially looks forward to this every year. The elephant ear countdown is on!

9. Colorful tights and cozy socks.

10. And last but not least, my purple mums courtesy of mom. Need I say more?!