Leo's Newborn Pictures

Months ago I booked a photographer friend to come to the hospital for a Fresh 48 session as well as a lifestyle newborn session at our house.  I was really looking forward to it and then all of the COVID-19 madness played out.  All photography was put on hold and it left me feeling so sad.  Newborn pictures are super important to me!  Babies change so fast and those tiny days are just precious.

Instead of sulking, I got busy making plans to shoot my own newborn pictures of Leo.

I was determined to capture his tiny days and do it well. 

I ordered a few neutral baby items, some signature baby items like the lion hat and used lots of household props to make these pictures happen.  I also incorporated some sentimental things - hat from my sister, blanket from a sweet Great Grandma and a fruit quilt from another Great Grandma. 

I'm REALLY happy with how his pictures turned out.  I feel like I captured newborn Leo well.  I would have loved some sibling pictures or some family pictures, but those will have to wait a bit until we can book a photographer for a family shoot.

I took these pictures over his first few weeks vs one big session.  It's hard for me to settle on a favorite picture.  Tell me your favorite Leo picture in the comments!

Sweet Leo!  I'm so thankful for this little guy.

Dreamy Healthy Ice Cream

Who wouldn't want some dreamy healthy ice cream - right!?!  I had a different post planned for today, but bumped it for this recipe because it's just that good.

Ice cream is one of our favorite treats at night.  We all love it and I've been on the hunt for a healthier swap for my beloved Blue Bell ice cream.  I'm also invested in using up anything in my freezer during this time.  Back in 2016 I shared a couple of banana ice cream recipes with you - raspberry & banana PB chocolate chip.  Those were good, but I'm happy to share that I've improved and updated my healthy ice cream recipe enough to share it again on the blog.  It's simpler and even more delicious.

It's a recipe that your kids could easily help you with.

You'll need a blender & just 4 ingredients.  Feel free to customize the toppings!

Fill up your blender with frozen banana slices*
2 cups water
1/4 c peanut butter
1/4 c chocolate chips

I do not have a fancy blender.  Mine is from Walmart and was like $20 years ago.  It does the job although I wouldn't turn down a fancy blender if someone offered me one! 

*I never waste bananas.  Once they turn brown I either bake with them or slice and freeze them.  I always have a ziploc of frozen banana slices for smoothies or healthy ice cream.

Directions:
1. Put banana slices and water and blend until smooth.  Stir with a spoon to ensure it's completely smooth before adding in the other ingredients.

2. Add in peanut butter next.  Blend until it's totally incorporated.

3. Add in the chocolate chips and let them get blended.

4. Spoon your ice cream mixture into two ice cube trays. 

This is one of my major recipe improvements!  This healthy ice cream freezes really hard which means that it is difficult to scoop like traditional ice cream.  I got the idea to freeze the ice cream mix in an ice cub tray and it's life changing.  The ice cream is so easy to serve and eat this way!  It's also easy to spoon into the trays.  I've also tried doing this mixture in popsicle molds.  It works just fine, but since the ice cream freezes so hard the popsicles are hard to bite into.  The ice cube tray really is the best!

5. Let trays freeze for several hours or until frozen solid.

 6. Pop them out of the ice cube trays and put them into a ziploc bag for easy storage in your freezer.

7. Grab as many ice cube tray scoops as you'd like, let your ice cream set out for ten or so minutes to soften just a bit and enjoy.  If you give it time to thaw just a bit it'll be the perfect ice cream texture.  This is such a delicious healthy treat!  It feels like a yummy dessert, but it's much healthier than traditional ice cream.

Would your family enjoy this ice cream??  It's my #1 favorite treat right now.

6 Safe Dinner Delivery Options

I knew having a baby in the middle of a pandemic would make it tricky for friends and family to make meals for us.  I had zero expectations of meals and was totally blown away by the creative options family and friends came up with to get us safe meals during this time.  I figured many of you might have pregnant friends, friends who are having surgery or friends and family who aren't leaving their homes and could use some dinner inspiration.

1. Door Dash & Grub Hub
Sign up for an account, look for local delivery options, plug in your friend's address and text them for their order.  We've had mostly good luck with this service.  The food is delivered pretty quickly, our orders have been accurate and people have either placed the orders for us or sent us gift cards so we can place our own orders.  We've gotten meals delivered from Chick-Fil-A, Qdoba, Five Guys and Pizza options.  All the food has tasted fresh.  You can also set up a meal train for someone and request these type of gift cards/meal deliveries.

2. Make a homemade dinner and drop it off at their door.
If you know the person well, and they are comfortable with homemade food right now, make them diner and drop it off to their porch.  You don't have to have any contact.  They can wave hello through your window and you can enjoy some home cooking without having to do all the work.  We had BBQ pulled pork dropped off as well as an amazing taco night.  Both were so good and it was so sweet to say hello to friends from a distance.  Both friends were so kind to shop and cook for us during these times.  Everything was delivered in disposable containers which meant we had nothing to return.

This taco night dinner was so fun with two meats, all the toppings, brownies, wine, a handwritten note and a baby gift.  What a treat!!

3. Order take out from a local restaurant or chain restaurant
We have several local restaurants, catering services and shops that are offering curbside meal pick ups.  A few friends texted me the menus of restaurants and said "Text me your order and tell me which day you want me to drop off dinner!"  It was so nice!

We really enjoyed a meal from Texas Roadhouse and a local restaurant called The Butler's Pantry.  The friends added on some yummy desserts and breads to the order for us to enjoy.  They had a contact free drop off to our porch and we got to say hello from a distance.

Our meal from Texas Roadhouse was wonderful!  Everything was fresh, delicious and it tasted just like it does in the restaurant.  I'd highly recommend their carry out meals.  This is one of our favorite restaurants so it's no surprise that this Beef Tip meal & sides was a crowd favorite.

4. Place an order for them to pick up
We have a local grocery store that serves comfort food type hot meals.  A friend texted to ask our order and let us pick the day that would be best for us to pick it up.  We got some delicious chicken tenders and sides.

5. Order Pizza and have it delivered to them.
Call or text a friend for their pizza order.  Add in bread sticks or a fun side for them!  We got several pizzas from several different places.  It was fun to try new things and enjoy some of our favorite spots.

6. Freezer meals
Both my mom and Kevin's mom made freezer meals for us right when Leo was born.  They stocked us up on premade dinners - pasta dishes, soups, chicken and rice, meats, pizza, etc.  All the shopping and prep work was done for us.  That made dinner prep very easy.


Who do you know that would benefit from getting a meal delivered right now? 

Bless them with a meal!

A local Italian restaurant is doing take out meals - huge pans of pasta and salads - made for another yummy dinner.

Tips for Getting Your Kids to Love Fruits & Veggies

I often get the question: How do you get your kids to eat such a variety of foods?

Quickly followed by: My kids are so picky and would never eat that stuff.

I'm thankful to have two great eaters.  They're pretty open to trying new things and are regularly finding new foods to enjoy.  They definitely have favorite foods, preferences and odd foods they enjoy.  But, overall, they are great eaters.  Their favorites have changed over the years.  It's important to remember that kid's favorite foods will change often.

These tips have worked well for our family.

1. Your kids will want to eat what you are eating
Inevitably my children want to eat what I am eating.  This is true for healthy food and for junk food.  If I'm snacking on Oreos, my kids will ask to have some Oreos.  If I'm eating a salad, they'll ask to share my salad and eat the items they love.  So if you are modeling eating fruits and veggies, your kids will take notice and want to try what mom and dad are eating.

Example 1: Fletcher will eat anything that is in my salad bowl.  He loves sharing salads with me.  I have just been making my salads a little bigger, giving him a fork and telling him no double dipping.

Example 2: He'll also help me eat cinnamon rolls. #balance :)

2.  Introduce something 5-10 times before deciding they don't like it
I roasted broccoli so many nights before my kids decided they loved it.  I never made them eat a ton of it.  I just ask that they take one bite.  If they don't care for the food after one bite, they an remove it from their plate.   Keep offering the foods and one day they'll surprise you and want to try it.  Or make a game of it - like a taste testing party and give the food a review from each person.  I made chili back in the Fall and had the kids taste it probably 8 different times.  On the last time he tried it, Fletcher decided he loved it and ate several bowls of it.  Kids are silly!  Don't make meal time stressful.  Make it fun.  Give them things you know they love and then introduce a new food item with their favorites.

3. Ask the kids to help prep fruits and veggies
Get some kid friendly knives and ask the kids to help you chop fruits and veggies.  I've found that my kids are much more excited about eating foods when they help prepare them.  We also offer DIPS to try out crunch veggies - honey mustard, ranch dressing or hummus are favorite dips.  The kids seem to enjoy trying out different dressings with their veggies.

4. Make food fun
Make shapes, rainbows, cute cut outs of your food.  Vary the way you cut up the food so that your kids are fine to eat it in any form.  For example, offer cucumbers with the peeling, without the peeling, cut into circles, spears or diced up.  That way your children will be familiar with any and all forms of a cucumber.  Also try giving your kids veggies in a variety of forms - steamed carrots, roasted carrots, crunchy carrot sticks, carrots in a salad, carrot circles or carrot cake :)  It's fun to show kids that fruits and veggies can be enjoyed in many different forms.

I try to do one fun lunch every week - Monogrammed lunch O & F for the kids and ice cube tray lunches are always a hit at my house.

 
5. Food as Fuel
It's important to teach your kids that healthy foods fuel your body.  They help you grow big and strong and they help your mind to stay sharp.  We also talk about how good we feel when we eat healthy meals.  Candy and junk food do not do this.  We don't talk about good foods or bad foods, but we talk about foods that help your body feel good. 

My kids are just getting to an age where they understand healthy food and eating a colorful rainbow of foods at each meal.  I try and help them practice moderation and add treats into our regular routine.  I feel like banning certain foods or categories of food give kids the desire to binge on them anytime they are offered.  We eat sweets regularly, but make sure to eat a wide variety of healthy things with them.

Favorite Fruits:
Cantaloupe, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, olives, grapes, peaches, nectarines, pineapple, apples, cherries, watermelon and pumpkin.   

Favorite Veggies:
Corn, green beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, sweet peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and edamame. 

My kids don't love avocados, brussels sprouts, onions, clementines, oranges, pears, celery, kiwi, blueberries or bananas right now.  I don't stress about this dislike list.  I keep offering all of them with meals because I like all of them.  One day they may love them.  Both kids loved bananas when they were younger, but don't care for them right now. 

What fruits and veggies do your kids enjoy?

8 Lessons Learned from Staying Safe at Home

Today marks Day 49 of us sheltering in place.

We're SAFE at home and I've tried really hard to avoid saying we are STUCK at home.

My attitude is so contagious.  I think that's true of most moms and women.

Your attitude sets the tone for your family day in and day out.

Let that soak in.  You can set the stage for a JOY filled home.

We are healthy and happy and most days have been joyful here.  Yes, we're a little bored of our at home routine, but the sunshine and warmer weather helps boost our moods when we can head outside for some fresh air.  We've also had tears and sad moments missing our normal activities.  We are focusing on the positives and know that one day life will resume.

I never in a million years ever envisioned a time where we'd spend the majority of our time and energy at home for this long.  If you would have told me at the start of 2020 (when I picked FAMILY for my 2020 Word of the Year) that we'd be spending SO much time together, I would not have believed you.  This time has been a really sweet time for our family.

Today I want to focus on the blessings and lessons I've learned from all this extra time at home.

1. I'll never look at grocery shopping the same.
I have always enjoyed and done the majority of our shopping since I'm home with the kids.  We shopped whenever and wherever we wanted during the weeks.  Having to delegate the grocery shopping duties to Kevin has been an adjustment.  He's been very sweet to take them over, but not knowing what ingredients would be in stock, what meat options would be available and always guessing which items on my list would actually come home has helped me to be more flexible and more thankful for our meals.  Limiting our trips to the grocery store has given me lots of opportunities to be creative in the kitchen.  I've enjoyed that!

2. Leave no leftover behind.
I mentioned sometime last year that I'd made a real effort to waste almost no food.  We got in the habit of having dinner leftovers for lunch.  We've also really utilized our freezer space.  Last year a neighbor gifted us an extra freezer.  I grumbled about it and thought it was unnecessary.  Turns out that it would be a huge blessing to our family to have that extra freezer space less than a year later.  God provides even when you don't realize it right away.  That huge freezer (that I grumbled about) is stocked now and ready to help us feed our family in the coming weeks.

3. The most generous people aren't always the ones that have the most.
We have been on the receiving end of TONS of blessings during this time.  Many friends have gifted us with baby gear, baby clothes, meals or dinner gift cards.  The majority of these have been completely unexpected and have just shown up at our house. I am still amazed at the generosity of our friends.  It's inspired me to look for ways to be generous in unexpected ways.

4. Kevin drinks a lot of coffee during his work day :)
Ha!  The coffee maker is hopping all day long.  I usually have 1-2 cups of coffee each day max.  He is a coffee all day every day kind of guy.  He's been working from home for several weeks now.  He's here 24/7 and we've gotten into a good routine.  He tried out a few work spaces in our house.  He has finally set up an office in our bonus room that is quiet enough for phone calls and video conferencing/counseling.

5. My kids are lucky to have each other.
I feel so thankful to have young kids during this time at home.  They are so happy to be home together and just get to PLAY.  They love hanging out together and it's been really sweet to see them learn new things together.  Their basketball skills are improving along with their tree climbing and bike riding endurance.   Olive is still learning at home.  She's reading like a champion on her own and eager to teach Fletcher to write his name.

6. Routines are good for everyone.
We have set rhythms and routines to our days.  It's been beneficial to all of us.  The kids know what to expect out of our days thanks to our routine.  We do not have a set schedule for each day, but our routines stay in place.  They know the order of our days and know what to expect each day.  They also know that we clean up as we go to keep the house tidy, do dishes after every meal to keep the kitchen clean, teamwork is best, we all clean up toys, everything has a place and I've noticed that they are eager to learn new jobs after all this time at home.

7. I miss people
I will never look at playgroups, classes, mom outings, errands, family parties, church or fun with friends the same.  I have really missed seeing my people and being friendly.  It's so hard to be friendly with a mask on.  You can wave, but it's a challenge to smile with your eyes when your whole face is covered by a mask.  It feels so awkward to stay away from people.

8. Take life a day at a time.
I have no idea what the coming weeks and summer months will look like.  I get a little anxious when I think about summer travel, seeing family again and hanging out with friends.  What will that look like!?!  Instead of stressing about the details of those events, I'm trying hard to be really thankful for TODAY and not worry about the future (Matthew 6:34).

What lessons has this COVID-19 time at home taught you?

Leo's Hospital Pictures

Happy May!  Hope you've had a good week.  This week flew by and I'm thankful for that.  I'm excited to share Leo's hospital pictures with you today.  I mentioned earlier that I'd book a Fresh 48 session for us for the hospital with a local photographer and then had to cancel it due to the current hospital, business and social distancing restrictions.  At first, I was bummed.  And then I rallied and made a game plan to take my own pictures of Leo.

It worked out great.  I got lots of sweet pictures to capture Leo's first couple of days.  It was quiet and calm.  If you're expecting and finding yourself in the same photographer boat, I'd encourage you to plan ahead and shoot your own pictures.

Let's start with the picture we used on social media to introduce Leo to the world.

Did one of my babies get my curly hair!?!  He's definitely our hairiest baby :)

A little sibling comparison in the same type of hospital hat:

Leo // 2020

Fletcher // 2016

Olive // 2013