tummy tub.

this tummy tub i do not get.

the concept i get. i actually like. but, couldn't you just go to your local home depot and buy a big bucket?!

the hat.

it was the week of prayer at church last week. but, i am behind and doing it this week. yesterday was prayer for family. the 'consider' part of the prayer booklet was very encouraging. a snippet...

'psalm 127 tells us that God builds the house and watches over our families. when we forget this and build in our own strength, the psalmist says we are "laboring in vain." God doesn't want us to build our families in our own strength. instead, he grants us the grace to live out our family relationships in his power, according to his leading and his will.'

this is such a good reminder as matt and i start our family and as i spend every day with chloe. some days can be more challenging than others, but in those days i can't do it in my own strength. and i also try and remind myself that if she has a bad day it doesn't mean i have to too. i determine that, not her. speaking of, on those days she's cranky (and i may be impatient), i put on her owl hat and i can't be mad anymore.

because really, who can be mad at that face.

but, sometimes, she can get annoyed with me...and all the pictures i take.

solid pro.

chloe has started eating solids. we are hoping she is not going to be as picky as her daddy. she has loved everything we've given her so far, so there is hope. i have found these bowls from ikea are the perfect size for baby portions. and you can't beat the price.
this is mostly for mom because she hasn't seen it yet. here chlo is sitting in her high chair for the first time eating oatmeal. she obviously has a lot to say about the whole thing.

pinterest.

pin·terest (pĭn'trĭst): n. a social catalog to collect and share things you love.

how did i not know of this before? i'm pretty much addicted.

four months.

the little spaz is four months now. her check up was today and here are the stats.

weight-13lb. 4oz.
height-24in.
head-41cm

all in the 50th percentile.

new "tricks":
she has found her feet. i think the bright red shoes on christmas eve helped.
she is starting to laugh a lot more. today she was laughing like crazy when i was kissing her belly.
she is just very active in general. she's always bouncing up and down and when i help her sit up, she skips the sitting part and goes straight to standing.

we had a great first christmas with her! we went to harrisburg christmas eve where she meant her grandma look (mike's mom) for the first time and the rest of that side of the family. back to covenant for christmas eve service and then some time spent at the hayes's after. on christmas day we spent part of the morning as a little family singing and exchanging gifts. then dad, mom hayes and jenny came over (which was such a blessing). and then over to my parents that afternoon with the whole family. a few photos...

chloe in her christmas pj's from gramma and grampa.

you wouldn't know it by her face, but she actually liked this.

the best you can get with a self timer.

yes mom, i love christmas and i LOVE tummy time.

she really does love her auny jenny.

everything she knows she learned from lucy.

she had tried rice cereal once before and dad decided to give her a taste of mashed potatoes. as you might tell, she loved them. i think she might've been a little tater drunk.

it was an exhausting few days and i'm kinda glad it's over, but not happy that christmastime is over. it went too fast.

matt and i had tickets to go to the eagles game last night, but as you may know, it was postponed, which i was very relieved about. i do not like driving in the snow. so, we'll be heading down there tomorrow night. i'm excited about my first nfl game. and it definitely helps that we'll be in a heated, all inclusive, luxury suite :)

'i love my lips.'

chloe has found her lips. this is her new look.


makes me laugh all day long.

craftyness.

this week i had the urge to be crafty. christmas does that to me sometimes. i had a christmas party at my house on friday and realized i did not have as many decorations as i thought i did. so, i made some. first up was the yarn wreath previously mentioned. here's how it turned out.



project cost:
wreath-2.49
yarn-3.29
felt-.87

total-6.65

i rather like it. and you could keep it up all year round.


and second was my advent tree. idea came from paige + modern that i saw on another megan's blog. i had a lot of fun with this one. although thinking of 25 things to write on the cards was harder than anticipated. sharpie came through and helped me out though. and the calendar.



mine does not look nearly as good as hers, but it works. i did a lot of things different. i don't have a great printer, so i used stickers that i got at michaels. i also walked around for quite awhile trying to find those envelopes she had, but my michaels didn't have them and the only other ones i could find were too big. so, i improvised and got gift tags instead. i used them upside down, hole punched them, and tied them on the branches with red string. i got the branches from my parents yard cause i liked them better than the ones that were in mine :) and then spray painted them white. my neighbors must think i'm nuts for the amount of spray painting i do. but, then again, they are pretty nutty themselves. my neighborhood has an infinity for those overly large holiday inflatables.

project cost:
spray paint-3.99
branches-free
tags (sold in packs of 10)-5.37
string-already in my craft supplies
stickers-2.67
vase-7.79

total-19.82


today we were finally able to go and cut down our christmas tree. it even started to snow for a few minutes which was lovely. we actually settled upon the first one we liked...i guess it works out like that sometimes not only for wedding dresses but trees too. but, now that we have it home, it's a little more crooked and sparse than we thought. oh well. hopefully it'll be a little warmer for chlo next year. she gave me this pained look the whole time.



and now for day 3 of the advent calendar...decorate the tree while matt watches...