Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Tuesday Talk: Catching Up

The past week has flown by.  We had my parents up to work on our new house, then Kevin's parents in town to visit and several appointments in between.  Kevin's super busy at work and we're all functioning on not quite enough sleep.  I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, but it's been tricky to figure out our new normal.  I am trying hard to take it easy and ease back into our routine.  That's easier said than done most days.  I forgot how often a baby needs to eat and how your schedule revolves around feeding/diapering/snuggling that tiny little person.  I'm sure we'll eventually nail this new routine, but 4 weeks into this two kid thing and it's safe to say we are hanging in there.

The best parts of our week were:

Fletcher outgrew all of his newborn sized clothing.  I washed and he's been wearing his 0-3 month outfits.  Won't be long before he outgrows those, too.  I always feel a twinge of sadness when it comes time to pack up a size of clothes and move into bigger ones.  It seems not to sting so bad once they're toddlers, but I know those tiny baby days really do fly by in the blink of an eye.

 He loves to hold on to you when you're snuggling him.
He holds onto my hair, my fingers and my shirt as he's falling asleep.

I catch her in the Rock-n-Play all the time.  Olive thinks it's so funny that she used to use this when she was a baby.  Fletcher sleeps in it now, but she's sure to snuggle in it regularly.

We graduated from sponge baths to sink baths and Olive was eager to help out.  Fletcher didn't mind the water and big sis loved scrubbing his toes, putting "sham-boo" on him and drying him off with his dragon towel.


My parents took vacation days to come up and help us with the house.  How great is that!?!?   The kids loved seeing their Mimi & Papaw, we loved seeing all of these projects getting done and appreciate living just two hours away from them. 


 My Mom & I snuck away one evening to do some shopping.  We had a great time and enjoyed hanging out together.

 We had a few evenings with a fussy baby so I broke out the Ergo, wore him and Olive worked on special projects.  We painted, played with playdoh and got out stickers.  She loved the activities and the extra attention.

I'll take all of the sleepy smiles :)

We ran errands and went to the grocery store for the first time this week.  We managed okay thanks to Dum-Dums and giant carts at Wal-Mart.  Fletcher sleeps through most things right now so it's hard to imagine them both being up and needing attention while I shop.  I may have to start grocery shopping solo when that time comes... kidding... kind of :)

 We're starting to introduce Fletcher to our favorite books.  Of course Olive is wearing a Sheriff Callie costume :)

 We had a funny toddler milestone this week.  Olive loves mexican food and we ate at our favorite spot with my parents.  She sat down, perused the menu and was ready to order when the waiter came.  He approached the table and without missing a beat she said,
"I want lemonade.  Chips and salsa and chicken and rice please"
then closed her menu.
She did order all of her favorites and it was funny that she figured out how to get them.

Fletcher's hair seems to be a lot lighter than Olive's and we love his mohawk.

 Kevin golfed with his dad and brother and then we had dinner at the country club.  It was Fletcher's first visit and Olive loves everyone that works there.  The food is always delicious so it was nice to have a great sit down meal.

The cats always go through an adjustment period when a new baby arrives and Topher is feeling extra needy.  He meows often, wants as much attention as possible and acts a fool if we have any guests over trying to get them to pay attention to him.  Oliver seems to be feeling better so all is almost right in the cat world :)


We received Baby Wren and The Great Gift to review this week and it's a darling book.  The illustrations are beautiful and I loved the story line.  It emphasizes the fact that everyone has unique and special gifts to share with the world.  Each animal has great things to share with the world and all of those special details make the world a better place.  My daughter loves the book and asks to read it often.  I appreciate the message celebrating individuality and promoting ways to be proud of all of your God given gifts.  It's a special book.
*I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review on BookLookBloggers.


 So things overall are ADORABLE at my house right now.
We're all tired, the house isn't as tidy as I'd like, to do lists are being ignored, but we're soaking up these newborn snuggles and taking everything one day at a time.


Hope you're having a great week!!  Follow me on instagram @polkadottyplace
I'll be back to blogging May 2nd and have lots of fun things on the horizon.
It's time to link up with my favorite ladies this week.
Join us with your best post of the week.
We had almost 180 people link up with us last time.

 Becky at BYBMG | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram
Michelle at Grammie Time | Pinterest | Instagram 
Polka-Dotty Place

Monday, April 25, 2016

Recipe Round Up: April

I have a fun collection of recipes to share with you today.  We were really fortunate to have several meals delivered to our house this month from new friends and family so I thought I'd share them with you.  I didn't try any new recipes this month.  I was busy with taking care of myself, a newborn and my family.  It was such a relief to have many dinners dropped off and not have to worry about grocery shopping and preparing food for my family every night.  A new mom's dream come true :)

Everyone dropped off food in disposable containers, most asked for food preferences/allergies of my family members and ran their food ideas by me first.  Everything was delicious and made dinners so easy for me this month.  We often had left overs and got two meals out of one dish.

Here are some GREAT meal ideas for new moms, anyone recovering from surgery or any family in need of a little extra love:

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
(Similar recipe here)
black beans
chips & salsa
Dark chocolate chunk brownies for dessert


 My sister brought some delicious, unconventional things that she'd knew I'd love:
Mrs. Schae Bars
(recipe found here)

 Strawberry Pie & a can of Redi Whip

She made me some pancakes to freeze and have on hand for easy breakfast options.  No one else brought me breakfast and it was so nice to pull a few out of the freezer each morning for an easy breakfast.



 You can't go wrong with comfort foods like
Chicken Pot Pie
served hot and ready to eat.

Premade salad mixes and fruit salads were always welcomed sides.

Hawaiian Ham Sandwiches
(similar recipe here)
 These were so good and really easy for me to heat up for dinner.
My friend paired them with a yummy vegetable soup.




 Papa Murphy's Pizza Extravaganza
  A friend texted to ask our favorite pizza toppings and then showed up with these delicious pizzas.  She got our favorite, a dessert pizza and then a Mini Murph (kid sized pizza) for Olive to DIY.  It was so much fun!  We loved this dinner and Olive had a blast making her own little pizza.

 


  Baked Pasta
rigatoni noodles, sauce, ground beef and mozzarella cheese
Frozen & ready to bake whenever we needed it
My MIL asked us to tell her our two favorite meals that she could make for us.  She brought up this baked pasta & her famous chili.  We froze both and pulled them out as we needed them.

Delicious Take Out
pick up your favorite meal from your favorite restaurant and deliver it to your friends.
Beef stew & bread made for a tasty dinner

All the fixins for
Fajitas
My dad grilled chicken, my mom got all the fixins chopped and ready for us.  She also shredded a bunch of chicken for us to make dinner prep that much easier.  We froze both and pulled them out as needed. 



Linking up with two of my favorite cooking ladies today:

Whitney @ Come Home for Comfort
 April New Recipes

and Katie @ Cup of Tea
Menu Monday - New Recipes to Try
Head over to their blogs to see what delicious meals they've been preparing.

We've also started a Pinterest Board called
New Recipes We've Tried and Loved!
Be sure to check it out and get some great ideas for meals at your house.