Cash Alexander 10 months old!

Cash Alexander 10 months old:

Weight - 22 lbs lbs

Length - 30 1/2 inches long

Diapers - Size 5

Clothes - 18 months!

So this little boy is a teething machine! He has gotten 3 more teeth since last month and he has one more on the top ready to poke through! He is still sleeping really well, 2 naps during the day between 2-3 hours each then he sleeps for 10+ hours at night time! I am so glad teething hasn't affected his sleep schedule because he is SO cranky when he is tired! He is a speed crawler, still crawling everywhere and getting into EVERYTHING. His new thing this past month is pulling his self up on any and everything including the stand up lamp which has fallen over onto him, the trash can which has also fallen over multiple times (I ended up moving it into the laundry room behind the door) He is so mischievous, and is a lot more hyper than Jade was. 

He's learned so much this past month it's insane. He is starting to catch onto things so that is really exciting. It's so fun to watch them learn new things and then be excited to do it. Everytime someone says "yaayyy!" he starts clapping uncontrollably and smiling and giggling, it is the cutest thing ever. I'm sad knowing that soon he's going to be walking and talking, becoming more independent. Soon he will not be my little baby anymore but I am so happy and feel so blessed to be able to watch him grow and learn everyday. Only 2 more months and then these updates will not be monthly anymore, I can't believe he will be 1 so soon! 

2 ingredient Banana bread pancakes!

So last night I was having a major craving for pancakes. It was 11pm and Aaron was at work, both kids were sleeping and I had no pancake mix! So I scavenged my pantry for something, anything that would make my pancakes and I didn't even have all the ingredients to do made from scratch pancakes. Well I came across this little package of banana walnut muffin mix that I use to make Jade mini muffins that cost about .98 cents at Walmart (instead of buying those tiny muffins already made for over$5!) so I had the idea to just use that for pancakes. It worked, and it was soooooo good!

You will need:

• One package of banana walnut muffin mix
• 1 cup of water

Optional for topping:

• Cinnamon
• Banana

This will literally only take you maybe 5 minutes from start to finish (including cooking time!)

1. Take your mix and all you have to do is add water and stir it up!
2. Grease your skillet or griddle, use about 1/3 c of mix and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes
3. Stack them, add any toppings you like (I used banana, butter and cinnamon because I had no syrup!)

And this is what you have!

This recipe using one muffin mix yielded 6 larger size pancakes, enough for 2 adults I would say. 

While I love making scratch home made banana bread (one of my favorite things to bake!) this was super fast, super easy, super cheap and it tasted really really good! This would be perfect for Sunday morning pancake breakfast, if you're looking to jazz up your pancakes really easily this is perfect!

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! :)

July 4, 2014!

We had a very eventful 4th of July over here. Lets just start by saying it rained ALOT. On July 3, we went to watch fireworks and go to the Freedom festival at one of our malls in the area and let me just say it was chaotic. It poured rain the whole way there, we almost turned around because it was so bad. When we got there we decided to eat since it was still raining (it is an outside mall) all of the restaurants lines were super long, there was no seating anywhere it was madness. Aaron ended up standing in line at Moes (one of our favorite places) for well over 30 minutes to get food while the kids and I sat at an outside table with one of their umbrellas(luckily it was only sprinkling now and no thunder or lightning!) Once we had got done eating it was around 9pm the time fireworks were supposed to start but since it had been storming really bad they were delayed until they had gotten clearance from the fire department, so we just ended up walking around for about 30 minutes to find a good spot to watch. We were really beginning to think the weren't going to do them when all of a sudden you hear the booms and the flashing lights! The kids were SO excited. i was a little nervous about Jade because it was her first time really seeing fireworks but she loved it, and Cash really surprised me he just sat in his stroller mesmerized by the fireworks he didn't even cry once! We had also taken my nephew Noah who is almost 4 and of course he loved it, all the kids had a good time and when it was over Jade said"Do it again!" She was so sad to leave. The way their faces lit up made the whole process of waiting, rain and everything else all worth it I couldn't help but have a huge smile on my face. I was so happy for them :)

Now onto July 4, Jade woke up excited to see Fireworks again it was a chore to keep her occupied until we left at 5:30pm. Once again it pored on the way to the fairgrounds and not only was it pouring but it was thundering and lightning. By the time we had gotten to the fairgrounds it was just drizzling so we walked around (the had animals,bounce houses, and a fair going as well) for awhile and then the guys took the kids to get balloon animals while me, my sister, my friend and Cash went to set up our area to watch fireworks. Well it started pouring but we stuck it out and hid under our umbrellas and it would lighten up and then start pouring again but we were determined to let the kids see fireworks again and they were having fun playing in the rain and wet grass so we stuck it out. Around 9pm (scheduled firework time) still no fireworks, at about 9:10pm it literally started down pouring. The guys took all the kids to go under the shelter and us girls stayed because I just had a feeling it wouldn't last long. I'd say about 30-40% of the people had packed up and left at that point but not us! Sure enough the rain only lasted maybe 15min and the guys and kids had came back, Aaron went to talk to some of the guys up by the stage to see about time frame for Fireworks and they told him any minute, around 9:30-9:45 all the lights went out everyone started clapping and fireworks began. The kids were so so so excited they were so anxious to see them and again all of the kids did awesome no melt downs or anything!

All in all we had a good time although it was a little stressful because of all the rain but that's Florida weather for ya! And of course the past 2 days, hardly any rain!! Well I've been crazily packing and trying to get the house in order, we're leaving for Georgia for a few days. Possibly some big life changing things going on so I'm nervous and excited to see what happens. I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July! And now for the fun part of the post, pictures!!

July 4, 2014

July 3, 2014 

Looking back at June!

This month seemed to fly by! Our family has gone through a lot of changes this past month. Aaron started a new job after spending half his life literally at his previous job (he had been working there since he was 14, now he's 28). He's also gotten sick twice this month which is really unusual since he NEVER gets sick but you know going through this big change there were bound to be bumps in the road. He had cellulitis which was horrible, I thought more than once that his leg was literally going to fall off because it was so bad. The second time he got sick was right after he was finally starting to get over the cellulitis which took almost a month, but this was more like being over exhausted working almost 100 hours per week. I think his body just wanted to shut down. Thankfully he is now feeling better and I'm hoping July is a good month for us! We didn't do anything especially exciting during June with everything that has been going on so I think Fathers Day was the highlight of the month for us. I am so thankful to have an awesome husband and he's such a great Dad, I'm glad he got to have a great day that was centered all around him! This month was also a big growing/learning month for both the kids. I can't believe how fast they're growing! Jade is now 95% potty trained, still working on over nights but other than that we're good to go! She has also been picking up on every little thing we say which is good and bad lol! As for Cash he is so mobile now it's insane! He is completely opposite from Jade as a baby, she was super chill and calm and he is definitely not! I am pretty sure he will  be walking before his 1st Birthday! Well I am looking forward to July and I can't wait to take the kids for all the 4th of July festivities this weekend!

*Now here's an iPhone dump of some of the photos from June!*

Backyard bubbles and a picnic. They love watermelon <3

 Being mischievous ;)

 Morning smiles <3

 Cashs first time in the big pool!

 She loves to paint :)

 Pool fun :P

 Baby model? <3

 Loves her bubbles <3

 Chalkin' up the sidewalk <3

 He loves the grass! My little adventurer 

 Spending time with Daddy!

Loving his watermelon <3

 Bathtime twins

Fathers Day 2014

We had a pretty relaxed Fathers Day this year. Aaron has been working alot of hours and had already went to work from 3-9am so when he got home from work Jade gave him his gifts, and sang him a song :) We had breakfast and then him and Cash ended up taking a nap for a couple hours. While the boys were taking a nap me and Jade painted (one of her new favorite things to do). We just hung out at home after nap time and later that night we went out to dinner to one of our favorite places The Lucky Dill. I'm so excited for this years festivities with holidays because Jade was super excited about it being Fathers day and giving Daddy presents so I can't wait to see how she reacts towards the end of the year with Christmas and her Birthday :) Over all we had a great day!

I couldn't ask for a better Husband and father to our kiddies, he's the most hard working amazing person I have ever met and I'm so proud to call him my husband! :) Thank you for all you do, we love you so much!

I hope everyone had a great Fathers day!!


                                     The loves of my life ready for Fathers Day dinner <3

Big boy!!

                                          So proud of her present she made for Daddy!!

With his Fathers day treat, Red velvet round from The Lucky Dill!

Singing her Happy Fathers Day song! 

Practicing on Saturday to say Happy Fathers Day to daddy! :)

Cash Alexander 9 months old!

Cash Alexander 9 months old:

Weight - 22 lbs lbs

Length - 30 inches long

Diapers - Size 5

Clothes - 12-18 months!

So our little Cashy has had quite the month! He's been sick most of the time with a sinus infection, it's finally getting better thankfully! He's also learned to stand up, which is now one of his favorite things to do on EVERYTHING! He's a little speedy Gonzalez crawler and is into everything. He's also really good at picking up food and feeding him self now, soon we will be trying to introduce utensils :) And as for "baby ninja" try putting clothes on him and he'll show you moves you've never seen before! He is not one to sit still LOL  We are only 3 short months from his 1st birthday which makes me sad but I'm so excited to see how much he changes and grows and of course his Birthday party! Planning has already begun and I've already set up Birthday photos for the beginning of September :)

Things my toddler says

So Jade is 2 1/2 now and she has become very vocal lately! I've always read about how toddlers say the funniest things and now I know first hand that it is true. I've decided to write down all the funny things she says so we can look back at it when she's older and laugh together! This list will grow as the days, months and years go on! I can't wait to look back on this list in a few years! :)

2014:

- Talking to our dog Chewy, "Come to poppa!" Signaling hand motions towards herself!

- She talks to everything- chalk, ants, worms, leaves, mulch, hair bows and calls them "my new friends" she also asks them what their names are and will carry a conversation as if it's a person. She'll also request that I talk to them too ;)

- Calls her spoon a "soup"

- Call lizards "dinosaurs" She actually has collected about 4 rubber lizards from one spot in target and sleeps with them, carries them around and tells everyone they're her "dinosaurs"

Is it really June?

Wow! How is it already June? This year is flying by so fast. We had a a whirlwind past 2 months. Some good, some bad but we made it and are ready to make the most of the rest of the year. One really awesome thing that happened last month is our baby girl is finally potty trained! She's been doing so goo, pretty much no accidents and she's only wearing pull ups to bed at night and if we're in the car for awhile. Even when we go out to stores she'll tell me she needs to go even if she does have a pull up! Success! She's almost 2 1/2 now so I'm so thrilled we're at this stage now. Our babies are growing up so fast!

We made the most out of the 1st of June, it was a Sunday and Aaron was off work so we headed to the park before the afternoon thunder storms. We love going to the park and we often go to the same park, it has a pier, tower (Jade calls it a castle), lots of trails, a train track and of course playgrounds :) Jade loves going here because we always bring bread to feed the fish off the pier, there was an exception this trip though. We seen an alligator! It was crazy, it came right up to the pier and was eating the bread she was throwing for the fish. Jade thought it was the greatest thing ever, she was talking to it and kept saying "alligator, alligator!" It amazes me how well she talks now ;) Anyways we spent a good half hour watch the alligator before we ventured over to climb the "castle" and explore the trails. Jade likes to bring a little pail so she can collect things (flowers, rocks, leaves, sticks, pretty much anything that catches her eye) it's so cute to watch her inspect things. To top off our trip to the park we stopped at the swing and playground. This was the first time Cash was really able to hold him self up in the swing and really enjoy it. He thought it was HIGHLARIOUS! He laughed so hard it was the cutest thing ever.

Also little side note: New favorite Starbucks drink, Trenta sweet tea with 4 pumps of Raspberry. SO good!

I'm looking forward to this month, and all the new adventures we're going through. I'm hoping to start blogging more regularly on here :) Now for some pictures!

Cash Alexander 6-8 months old!

It is so crazy how fast time is flying by! I can't believe I haven't posted here since February! Our little guy isn't so little anymore (sad face) he is now 8 months old and getting into everything! So I'm going to catch you up on these past few months with him :)

Cashs 6 month old stats:

Weight - 17.9 lbs

Length - 27 3/4 inches long

Diapers - Size 3

Clothes - 6-9 months but mostly 9 months now!

This month he started babbling a lot and I even thought I heard Mama in there a time or two ;) He is most definitely a thumb sucker now, you can tell he's tired when that thumb is glued to his mouth lol! Still loves his toys and is very alert to things going on around him. Started sitting up this month, still needs a little help and is a bit wobbly but he's getting there! Started him on baby food and he loves it, hates baby cereal though! He has a hearty appetite :)

Sleeping 10+ hours at night and still taking 2 naps :)

Cashs 7 month old stats:

Weight - 20 lbs

Length - 28 inches long

Diapers - Size 4 diapers 

Clothes - 9 months & some 12 months!

Our little Cashy got his first tooth this month! He has been teething like crazy and finally that thing popped out! Its so sad when they're teething and in pain and there isn't much you can do to relieve it, we were praying for this little tooth to come through for him. As you can tell in this months picture he was not a happy camper, that's how he spent most of month 7, crabby! When he wasn't being preoccupied by food, toys and mamas attention he was most definitely crying, poor guy. He hit a growth spurt this past month and seems like he doubled in size lol! We also started giving him a lot more table foods this month and not as much "baby food" now that he has a tooth. He does really well with eating and even chews, a lot better than when we started giving Jade table foods! He's also so close to crawling, he gets up on all fours and rocks back and fourth really well he just can't master the full on crawl. He is a pro army crawler though, he scoots all through the house!

Cashs 8 month old stats:

Weight - 21 lbs

Length - 29 inches long

Diapers - Size 5

Clothes - 12 months!

Wow this past month he has changed so much! Back to his happy self now that he has 2 teeth! He has also mastered crawling and is into everything!! Cabinets, toys, book shelves, dvd shelves, dog food bowls, and has discover and explored every room in our house! He is a little speed racer :) One thing that hasn't changed though, still a major thumb sucker. I'm not sure how I feel about it, it's cute but I know we're going to have a hard time breaking it. It comforts him, so I don't know what to do. I feel like he's still young right now so I'm not going to think to much into it but I know sooner or later it'll become a problem. Can we just talk for a second about how much this kid loves to take a selfie, I mean seriously 

LOVES it! Cutest thing ever <3 He is so cute and loves everyone, unlike Jade who hated and I mean hated for anyone but me or daddy to hold her. Cash is a little love sponge, he'll take lovings from anyone and enjoy it :) It's so fun to watch him grow and enjoy all the new things he's learning and seeing. I can't believe he'll be *1* in just 4 months! Time to start party planning! :) 

Cash Alexander 5 months old!

This month our baby boy turned 5 months old! So crazy to think he'll be half a years old next month!

Cashs 5 month old stats:

Weight - 17.5 lbs

Length - 27 1/4 inches long

Diapers - Size 3

Clothes - 6-9 months 

He laughs so much, loves sleeping on his tummy, he loves being held, constantly watching whats going on, grabbing at things and can even hold and chew on toys :) And he has officially become a thumb sucker, he does not care much for his pacifier anymore. Still sleeping really well at night and takes at least 2 naps a day :) 

Jade 2 years old!

So this is a little late but, our little princess turned 2 on the 10th of January! I still can't believe she's 2 already,so crazy! These last two years have flown bye and I am so amazed at how much she's changed just in this past year. She wasn't even walking at her first birthday party (she started walking at exactly 13 months old), she was still in a crib, still taking a bottle, was more jabbering than actual talking, there are so many things that have changed I can't even list them all! Our little girl is growing up so fast!

   Jade 2 year old stats:

Height: 37 inches

Weight: 27 lbs

Clothing: 2t pants w/belt (baggy in the waist but need a 2t for the length!), 3t-4t shirts (she has a long torso!) 

Sleep: She sleeps pretty well most of the time, usually 10+ hours at night and 1 nap usually 2-3 hours.

Favorite things:

• Bubble Guppies
• Minnie/Mickey mouse
• Paw patrol
• Doc Mcstuffins
• Animals
• Singing :) She loves jingle bells and twinkle twinkle little star
• Puzzles (especially the wooden ones)
• Drawing (she is such a little artist, she can draw circles like a pro!)
• Bananas, raspberries, pineapple,apples, baby carrots, yogurt, corn and chicken!
• Pretzels are her all time favorite snack
• She loves to jump, on the trampoline or just up and down in general :)
• Blankets, pillows and stuffed animals!

She has such a personality, she can be so stern and serious alot of the time but if she's comfortable around you she is such a little goof ball :)

So proud to be her mommy and I'm so excited to see how much she grows and changes this year!

Healthy zucchini pasta!

This year I have made it a priority to start living a healthier lifestyle. I love pasta and it's one of the things I miss eating the most, so I decided to try this new thing I've been seeing everywhere "zoodles" and I love it! While most of the things I've read on how to make zucchini noodles include using a vegetable spiralizer which I don't have (and can only be ordered online for upwards of $40!) I came up with some other ways to do it. The first is a julienne peeler (like a vegetable peeler but with sharp "teeth") and more recently I found a mandolin that has a julienne slicer attachment, so easy! The peeler worked good but it took quite a bit of time and patience to get the "noodles", the mandolin was super quick and easy less than 2 minutes to do 2 squashes so I'll definitely be using that from now on!

The peeler cost $3 at Wal-Mart and the mandolin cost $10 at Wal-mart both can be found in the kitchen gadgets section :)

On to the recipe!

Zucchini "noodle" pasta!

Ingredients:

1. Zucchini/Squash (2)
2. 3/4 cup of sauce of your choice
3. 1/4 cup lean ground turkey
4. 2 tbsp parm cheese

Method:

1. Brown turkey meat 
2. Prep your veggies
3. Toss veggies and sauce in with turkey meat on medium heat until sauce is warm. (You don't want to cook the veggies just warm it up a little)
4. Plate and top with cheese!

Voila! You're done super quick and easy!

This recipe is for 1 serving, and is only 340 calories! You could leave the veggies all raw (which I also like) but this time I tossed them in with the sauce to warm up just a bit :) Hope you enjoy!

I will be posting more about my weightless journey once I have my monthly weigh in, and will also be sharing healthy recipes :) Here's to a happier healthier 2014!