Catch-up

Well our little blog was neglected for quite awhile. Oops!!  Life has been busy 😀

A catch up since our last blog

1.  

May 2014- we found out we were having baby #2. Just like last time we waited until the baby was here to find out the gender. 

2.  We put our house on the market, it was shown a few times, never sold. We took our house off the market and are still figuring out where we will be going in the future. 

3.  My job that I had worked at since just before we got married was eliminated. Thankfully I knew enough in advance about the elimination I was able to find something else. My new job, that I started in April 2014 is a much closer location and I'm really enjoying it. 

4 we took a little mini vacation in March 2014

5.  The best thing of all- we welcomed another baby girl on January 27 2015. Halynn Elise was born at 8:57pm weighing 6 lbs. Blair is a great big sister!!

6. Jeff and I celebrated 5 years of marriage!!

Back?

I'm contemplating re-joining the blogging world to keep family and friends up to date on our family and hoping to include some extra yummy recipes :)

It's been over a year so I'll be back soon with all of our life/family updates

Favorite Blogs

I'm always on the lookout for new blogs to follow and read.  Some that I read regularly I have found through other bloggers, some I have just stumbled on.  Most of the blogs I frequent are people that are in the same season of life as me- new mom, working mom, moms of small children, farm girls...etc....  So here are my favorites (And no- I have never met or talked to any of the bloggers!).

 I'd love to hear about other blogs that are great or just that you think I'd enjoy!

1.  Blonde Ambition-  I love reading what Leslie has to say about being a new mom and a working mom.  She's also a fashion blogger and I love to see some of the outfits she puts together.  Too put icing on the cake- her daughter is adorable!

2. In This Wonderful Life-I started reading Megan's blog shortly after she had her son, Cohen. Cohen was born with a congenital heart defect and unfortunately passed.  Megan now has boy/girl twins that she blogs about and has recently just started her own business that has adorable stuff!

3.  Kelly's Korner-  I don't remember how I found Kelly's blog, but she's a godly woman with 2 little girls.  She has a weekly link-up that is always fun too!

4.  Kristi's Blog- This was the first blog I read- it was Kristi's blog when her and her family were traveling to China to adopt their daughter Piper, they've since brought home Presley and I think they have their hands full :)


What are your favorites??

Window Shopping

I love to just look at things that would be nice to buy at some point- most of which is when money is no object- so I don't see that happening anytime soon.  I'm not a spender- if I buy something it's either a) Needed, b) a gift, or c) not for me.  So today I'm going online window shopping for me and Blair!

First up for Blair:
Hunter Boots- are these not the cutest things ever!  I think ever little farm girl should I have a good pair of "wellys".  They are just so stinking cute and all of the colors I love.  Maybe for Easter or another reason she'll be getting these but I absolutely love them!

Source

A little North Face fleece-Again, I think this is cute.  I will not be buying on though- I cannot justify the $45 for a fleece jacket.  We have a fleece jacket from The Children's Place that is very similar and very good quality.  This is definitely just a looker for us.

Source

A Plasma Car-  I'm kind of kicking myself for not buying these on super sale last fall on Zulily.  It's not that we need another ride on toy to sit in the house right now, but I think Blair would like it when she's older.  They come in lots of colors, so I'll be watching zulily again for a good deal (hopefully!).

Source

Now for my window shopping:  My stuff is obviously more expensive and won't be purchased at any time in the near future :)

1.  I've looked at these boots for probably 2-3 years, but I can in no way, shape, or form justify the cost :(  They look like a good classic riding boot that could be worn for a long time, and be comfortable.  Maybe someday I'll slpurge, but for now they stay on the window shop list :)

Source

2.  Another thing I've looked at many times, but still haven't completely decided on is a Maxi dress.  They look so cute on others, and I will admit, I've never tried one on because I'm so short.  But this Lily maxi is adorbs!

And since I've never really had a high-quality purse- the Coach Borough Bag.  It comes in a grey color which I love because it's so neutral. But the almost $600 not coming out of my pocket!

Source

Oh to window shop.  I love looking and knowing that I can dream!

Getting to Know You!

I'm linking up today with A Blonde Ambition for a fun little "Confessional Friday"
Getting to Know You Edition - Post Template

1. Your name:  Natalie


2. Where you're from:  Illinois- not anywhere close to Chicago :)


3. What do you do with your days? (Work, SAHM, student, etc.)  I work as an assistant and plan events large and small

4. Tell us about your family (photos are great!)  I've been happily married to my Husband Jeff for 3 1/2 years.  Last January we welcomed our Daughter, Blair.  We also have one pup-child, an English Mastiff, Kuba.

5. What are your dreams and goals-  My dream is to figure out what I want to be when I grow up ;)  Okay, so maybe not, but my dream is to raise a centered child that loves her family.  My goals is to be the best mom I can be to Blair and any future siblings.

6. Why did you start blogging?  I started blogged to chronicle our life as newly-weds and now parents.  I also started to hopefully gain some bloggy friends.  I've slacked on blogging the last year, but can hopefully turn that around.

7. Maybe tell us some random facts!  I have horrible fashion sense and look to fashion bloggers for ideas/tips/great buys.  I would wear a sweat, shirt, boots, and jeans every day and be fine! :)

Blair is 1!

This is a few days late, but we were soaking up every single moment of Blair's first birthday! Pictures and more coming later today :)

Blair,

You are 1!  My, oh my, how the last year flew by!  You are amazing little girl with a great personality, and you are SO SO SO LOVED!

We go to the doctor this afternoon, so I'll update with all of your 1 year stats :)

You are in size 2 diapers still, you wear 6-9, 9-12 and 12 month clothes- it just depends on what brand we have and what size you need.  You are in size 3 shoes and have the cutest silver glittery shoes.

You are still nursing, taking a bottle, drinking from a sippy cup, and loving your "real foods."  You aren't a fan of pasta at all, in fact you will put pasta with meat in your mouth and figure out how to spit the pasta back out at us.  It's really funny and Daddy and Mommy laugh each and every time!  You love yogurt, any kind of meat, and cheerios.

You are walking, running, and starting to climb.  You are completely given up on crawling, because you have figured out that you can run and get there faster.  You are such an explorer- you love to just walk around the house and look and touch things. You know exactly where your room is and where your book basket is and sometimes if we just let you go, you will walk in there and sit on the floor and look through your books.  You also know how to close doors that are open, and love to do that repeatedly.

In your 11th month, you got to celebrate Christmas, New Year's and just this past weekend your birthday.  You were very cautious at Christmas at first, but learned that opening up your gifts was a lot of fun.  You are very loved by our friends and family and Mommy and Daddy weren't sure all of your gifts would fit in our house.  And then we had your birthday party and we were even more sure that we will need a bigger house soon!  For New Year's, we stayed home and Aunt Lindsay, Uncle Tim, Anthony, and Jimmy came over for dinner.  You went to bed at your normal time and all of the adults stayed up.

You are typically down for bed between 7:30-8 and are back up for a feeding around 3, then back down until 6:30 or until we have to wake you up.  Some nights when you are really tired you will just walk into your room and up to your crib and we know you are ready for bed.  We have been able to transition you from being rocked to sleep to just putting you down tired and you've started sleeping better since that.

You have been the best baby and we are so lucky to be your parents.  We were slightly scared at the beginning knowing that we were going to mess up or do something wrong, but we quickly learned that what we were doing was right, even if it wasn't by the book.  It was what you wanted or needed.  Most of all we love you more than you will ever know.  You made us Mommy and Daddy, titles we love having.  You are the happiest girl, and we know we are so lucky to have that.  We can't wait to experience many more firsts with you as you grow into toddler-hood.  You will always be our little tater.

We love you!

Mommy & Daddy

Blair is 11 months

Blair,

You are 11 months.  It's so hard to believe that in under one month we will be celebrating your first birthday!!

We are guessing you are around 18 pounds and 27 inches.  You are in size 6-9 month clothes, size 3 shoes, and size 2 diapers.

You go to bed at night around 730-8 and are usually up for the day between 630-730.  There have been nights you sleep all night and others we are up a couple times, but you have been doing good sleeping through the night.  Mommy is very happy about this!

You love to feed yourself.  You eat pretty much whatever mommy and daddy have for meals, but your favorites so far are chicken and meatloaf.  The other night we had meatloaf and you kept wanting more!  You still take bottles when you are with grandma, but we'll be moving to all sippy cups soon.

You are such a curious little girl.  You are into everything and trying to figure out things.  It's so fun to watch you find something new or learn a new skill.  You walk all over the place, but know that you can get places faster crawling, so when mommy or daddy comes to get you you take off crawling.

We have done lots of things this past month, we went to another wedding, we went to the festival of lights in Peoria, we had your first thanksgiving, put up the Christmas tree, went to see Santa, played in the snow, and had lots of fun!

We love you so much Blair.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

10 months

Blair,

You are 10 months old. It's so hard to believe in just 2 short months we will celebrate your 1st birthday!

You are 17 lbs and 26.25 inches long. You are still our little peanut. 

You are still breastfed, take bottles during the week. You love dinner time when we all sit at the table and have dinner together. You love to eat whatever mommy and daddy are having. Your favorite things so far are ground beef and beans. You have a jar of puréed as well as whatever else you get in your mouth. You do really well using a sippy cup so hopefully that makes the transition from the bottle easier. 

This month you got 3 teeth!  Now you have 5. 

You are in size 6-9 month clothes, size 3 shoes, and size 2 diapers. 

We've had a busy month and next month will be wen busier. You were baptized and had a family celebration. You had your first Halloween and dressed up as a black cat. 

One of the biggest things that happened is you have started to walk in your own. You are growing up so fast!

Ranch Chicken

A new favorite recipe for our house is Ranch Chicken.  This was given to us by a family member in our wedding cook book, but we had never tried it until a few weeks ago.  It's very easy and we could probably have this once a week and I'd be happy!

Ranch Chicken
3/4 Cup crushed cornflakes (I use crushed rice krispies)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
8 boneless skinless chicekn breast halves (Approximatley 2 lbs.)
1/2 cup butter, melted

In shallow bowl, combine crushed cornflakes, parmesan cheese, and dry ranch dressing mix.  Dip chicken in melted butter then roll in the cornflake mixture.  Place in greased 9x13x2 baking dish.  Bake uncovered 45 minutes or until juices run clear.

It's so moist and yummy!  Blair LOVES it- last night she just keep reaching for more.  We have also coated pork chops in this and it's good too.

No pictures, but I wanted to share this super easy meal.

A month Collage

I'm hoping to get back in a blogging mode, so to start a collage I made of Blair from the day she was born until her 9th month.

I cannot believe she'll be 10 months next week!

I've been in a blogging rut, just don't know what to share or topics to begin with.  On top of that life has been crazy!  I know it will only get worse with the holidays, but I hope to keep up better than just once a month.

Blair is 9 months

Blair,

Today you are 9 months old!  I can't believe that in less than 90 days we will be celebrating your 1st birthday!!!

As far as weight and height, I think you are around 18-20 lbs, and I have no idea on height.  You are in a size 2 diaper, Size 6-9 month clothes, and a size 2 or 3 shoe.

You are still nursing, but love your solids!  You eat solids at least 2 times a day, and take bottles while with Grandma.  You still only have 2 teeth, but I think more are on the way.  You love feeding yourself and usually eat at least a few bites of whatever we are having for dinner or lunch.

You go down for the night around 8 and are usually up once in the night to eat and then we have to wake you up most mornings to get dressed.  You aren't much of a morning person- just like mommy & daddy.

You are MOBILE!!!  You crawl every where, pull up to everything, will stand alone next to something without holding on, or even in the middle of the room.  You are getting so strong.  You are also a climber- you have figured out steps, how to climb into your car seat, and try to climb up into the chair or on the couch.  We have so much fun watching you explore.

You love to see Kuba play and just laugh like its the funniest thing ever.

You are "talking"- your favorite thing is to say "Hi DaDa!" We are working on MaMa, but you usually just laugh at us when we say it to you.  You jabber all day long, but when we are home and Daddy isn't you just say dadadada over and over until he's home.  When you see him you squeal and crawl toward him- it melts our hearts.

You love to play, and be on the go.  You are such a good baby, and we have had so much fun this fall doing fun activities.

Reflections....

Yesterday, we went back to my hometown, to see my parents and brothers and the rest of our family.  We had family pictures taken for the first time in a long time!

Going back to the place I grew up and all of the things I remember can be hard sometime.  While at my parents house, Blair and I were up in my old room.  It's kind of hard to go up there because that was my bedroom for 20+years.  Much of it is the same, however things have changed.  There are still some of "my things" hanging on the wall, even though I've been gone for almost 4 years now.

Being in that room, I remember having my friend Liz over and playing with our Barbies or cabbage patch dolls.  I stood in there with Blair and reminisced about all of the old memories.
I admit, my room wasn't the cleanest growing up.  There would be days I would decide to clean my room, I'd open the windows and turn on my radio and clean, and clean, and clean.

The Christmas mornings, waking up and going to the other bedrooms to see who was awake.

The sleep-overs with friends- we would stay up too late talking and playing games.

The year I decided to paint my room blue with clouds.

The year I decided that my dad wasn't moving fast enough on ripping out a wall, so I did it myself.

The day I opened my closet to find that the old plaster ceiling had fallen in.

The newspaper clippings from high school.

The high school year books.

The countless pictures of my childhood.

All stored in four walls, memories that I will never forget.  memories I get to share with Blair when she goes to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Lots more great memories in the town, sadly many things in the town have changed that just make me sad that I have to rely on my memory to see/do them again.

What I want Wednesday

Ok so this is not to sound needy, but I have seen some things recently, that I'd love to have in my house if money were no object and there weren't other things to take care of.  So without further ado,

Source

A pair of Frey Boots.  They are gorgeous boots and they have lots of different options, but the price tag- around $350.00!  So not even anywhere close to a possible in my budget!

Source

A new pair of running shoes.  These are Nike Free Run's and I think they are pretty cute- and they look like my old Reebok's that I had that made my shin splints disappear!  Not to bad for just around a $75 bucks.

Source

A week or heck even a few days in Jamaica with Jeff and Blair.  Yes, I would take her with us, we loved Jamaica the first time we visited, and we will be going back in the future.

Source

A home that looks like this at the holidays- I absolutely love this tree!  Yes its over the top, but I think its gorgeous!!!  And yes, we are a Christmas family and I can't wait to get our decorations us and spend Blair's First Christmas with her! (PS-if anybody is awesome at decorating and wants to help- I'll take it ;))

September 21, 2013

Last weekend, we packed up and headed to the Chicago suburbs for our very good friend's wedding!  Jeff was the Best Man and I was a bridesmaid.

Jeff and I took off work Friday and headed to Naperville in the early afternoon to celebrate Tim & Lindsay's wedding weekend!  We had a great weekend!

Friday evening we had rehearsal dinner and rehearsal.  Blair was so good during the dinner and the rehearsal she slept :)

Saturday was a busy day of girls getting ready.  Blair spent the time with the bridesmaids in the morning.  In the afternoon we were fortunate to have our friends Amber and Maggie keep Blair and take her with them to the ceremony and the reception.  I will say I think she may have been a little spoiled :)  Tim & Lindsay's wedding was gorgeous and we were all so honored to be a part of their special day!!

Photo By Amber Langhoff