Sugar & Spice of Everyday Life

I wanted to start documenting the sugar & spice in my life
to help me remember the little things and to help you to get to know me better.

+ Sugar: Olive is loving her toys and is getting better at entertaining herself.  I was amazed to observe her playing and entertaining herself for a solid 20 minutes the other day.  Makes me excited for things to come as she gets older.

- Spice: I stepped on the scale today and wasn't thrilled with the number I saw.  My goal for the coming week is more healthy eats and less treats.  I've been making time to go on walks but I'd like to squeeze in a few more workouts too.

+ Sugar: Kevin has received several job interviews for the coming year and we are working hard to get them scheduled and planned for the next few weeks.  It's exciting to think about what God has in store for our family in the coming years.

- Spice: Olive is going through a frustrating stage.  Frustrating for her and for us.  She wants to crawl, move, reach out and stand but she needs a lot of assistance for any of these things to take place.  She gets mad when she cannot reach something or when she flops in the wrong direction.  She screams out in frustration and looks at us like we need to do something to help her ASAP.  I feel like a human jungle gym 99% of the time because she literally climbs and crawls all over me.  I'm sure that I'll miss this stage when she becomes more independent but right now I feel frustrated that I have a hard time keeping her content.

+ Sugar: We have done a good job of planning fun things to look forward to in the coming months.  A road trip here and there and visits to see family and friends are all in the works.

- Spice: I'd like to get my hair cut but the majority of places I find close at 5:00pm.  My husband gets home around 5 each night and so that won't work.  I'm considering being that mom and taking Olive to my haircut and praying that she'll sleep through it.  I should probably look into weekend appointment options but it just seems like a lot of work.  Definitely a time that I wish I had a good friend in this city.  Womp, womp.

+ Sugar: I've been making time to read REAL books.  Sitting down in a comfy spot and flipping the pages of a good book has been a fun treat each night.  I wait until everyone is in bed and squeeze in a few chapters.

- Spice: Olive has been having a bit of skin trouble mostly on her arms, collar bone area, neck and mouth.  We are trying some new Aveeno Baby lotion to see if that helps and I've been lathering her in lotion several times a day.  She's quickly gotten used to this baby spa treatment and babbles the entire time which I LOVE.  It does not help our cause that she is drooling like a faucet and seems to have her hands in her mouth the majority of the day.  I think teething is the likely culprit of the excessive waterworks but her pediatrician said she'll like be drooly from now until age 2.  Awesome...

Just a little dose of reality from my house to yours :)

Reese's PB Oatmeal Chip Cookies

 Reese's + chocolate chips + oatmeal = an amazing cookie!!

 Ingredients:

1 egg

1/2 c brown sugar

1/3 c sugar

dash of salt

1 t baking soda

a few drops of vanilla

4 oz creamy peanut butter - Peter Pan is my fave

4 T butter

1 1/2 c quick cooking oats

1/4 c Reese's Pieces

3/4 c semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine sugar, butter and add egg.  Mix in vanilla, soda, salt, PB and oats.

Coarsely chop Reese's so they are not whole.  Add in chips and candies last then combine with a spatula.

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

The cookies will look slightly gooey when you pull them out of the oven.  Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes and then remove them.  They are supposed to be a chewy cookie so be careful not to over bake them.

Recipe makes: 15 large cookies and the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

 Let them cool fully on wax paper.

 100% cooled delicious cookie.

Pretty, gooey cookie profile shot :)

Enjoy; these are Ah-Mazing!!

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Best Baby Toys 7-9 Months

I wanted to share Olive's favorite toys right now.  She's a huge fan of toys and definitely has favorites.  I know that every baby is different but it's always fun to see what toys are out there.

Our Favorites:

Eric Carle soft interactive book & frog with chewy items on each leg - Barnes & Noble

baby remote - Wal-Mart

interlocking rings

baby keys

old remote with batteries removed - Comcast :)

Musical Mirror Snail

Taggi Chime Ball

Clippity Cloppity Horse - TJ Maxx

Puppy dog with many textures and crinkles

Fisher Price Talking Dog

She also loves board books and books with sections to feel

and her boppy is no longer required to help her sit up but she loves lounging on it.
Her exersaucer is is still a huge hit.

 She's entertaining herself more and more these days.

 Win-win for both of us :)

 Olive just got this

Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Learning Home Playset for Christmas.

She loves it and there's so much more for her to do as she gets older.

 Her favorite high chair toys are the ones that suction to her tray - all from Babies R Us.

What toys do your babies love??

WIWW

My week was full of lazy days at home, errands and a little road trip.  I wish I'd taken more outfit pictures but I'll do better next week.  I remembered to take plenty of Olive so that should count for something  :)

1. Road Trip to Hot Springs

jacket - Old Navy

scarf, top & earrings - Limited

skinnies - Target

flats - Lucky

 Olive was looking so cute this week and wanted to join in my wiww post.

outfit - Target

headband - gift

cardigan - Macys

leggings - Target

headband - Babies R Us

gold moccs - The Coral Pear

 hat - GAP

onesie - Macys

leggings - Target

Paci clip - Babies R Us

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Savor Olive Life

Dear Olive,

You are 7.5 months old and you are full of personality.  You keep us on our toes and time with you is flying by.  You are sitting up like a big girl and LOVE to be surrounded by toys.  You lunge and end up getting yourself stuck on your side or on your belly.  You aren't very interested in crawling and seem frustrated when we have you practice.  You much prefer standing and I think you like to see what is going on.  You get mad if you feel like you are missing out or being ignored even for a moment.  You are very grabby and have an impressive reach.  You lunge for things and we are always playing a constant game of keep our phones away from baby.  You still wear headbands and have yet to pull them off.  I'm hoping that you just love wearing them and think it's perfectly normal.  People compliment you on them and you smile shyly back.

 You also have great hand eye coordination and dexterity.  You can pick up tiny things and put them in your mouth.  You like to eat cereal puffs and especially like it when mommy feeds them to you.  You love to feel things and examine things with your hands.  We have to be very careful about what is in your reach because you want to put everything in your mouth.

 You continue to think that your toes are delicious and want access to them at all times.  You try to rip off socks and kick off most shoes.  Your gold baby moccasins are difficult for you to get off so you wear those most days.  You think me putting on socks on you is a fun game rather than a necessity.  I constantly see you with one sock on and am on the hunt for your other sock.  I've found them in the parking lot, in my pocket and hidden in your toys.

 You are a prim and proper lady.  You sit with your legs crossed a lot of the time and cross your legs when we feed you a bottle.  It cracks me up!  Oh and I also think your feet are adorable and love when you wear your baby jeggings.

Paci is never far from you.  We have it clipped to your shirt while you are awake and a few scattered in your crib.  You have mastered putting it in yourself and you think you are pretty clever when you put it in upside down or sideways.  We try to fix it for you but you just smile and bite down on it.  Silly baby.

You have perfected your grunt/baby growl.

We hear this when you aren't happy, want something you aren't getting or if we take something away from you.  You pucker out your lips and it's hard to take your anger seriously because you are making such a cute little face.

It's hard to spot in pictures but you are sprouting some new hair.  

It's brown and has just started sticking up a little bit.

 You love your baby exersaucer - thanks Aunt Haley - and spend lots of time bouncing, chewing and twirling around your sea of toys.  You think it's so funny to knock all of the toys off and it's become a game.  You knock it all off and I pick it up.  It keeps you busy for a while.

 You LOVE fruits and veggies.  We feed you and you like to help us with your very busy hands.  You often end up with a face covered in food and messy hands.  It doesn't seem to bother you.  We clean you up and give you your clean spoon so you can practice feeding yourself.  You seem to be eager to become more independent.

You are a smiley baby and we joke that we don't think it's possible for a baby to smile bigger than you do.  You seem to be so excited about things and love when we talk to you.  We make up silly songs, play peek-a-boo and make lots of goofy noises.  You are completely entertained and are confused when we try to multi-task giving you less than 100% of our attention.  Your Dad is thrilled that his large array of goofy noises is finally appreciated by someone at our house.  You try your best to imitate and spend your days saying da-da, ya-ya, bla-bla with an occasional ma-ma.  You are very drooly but no sign of any new teeth. 

 Baby girl, we are so lucky to have you!  It's hard to believe that we are approaching your 8 month birthday.  You just get sweeter and sweeter each day.  You've started reaching out for us and holding on for dear life.  We feel the same way about you and love a good snuggle from you.  We love you more each day.  

Love, Mom & Dad