Our Week In Pics

It was another busy week! I didn't have a chance to take too many pics, but managed to snap a few, to give you a glimpse into our life:

Dinner on Monday night. Spring Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto.  Get the recipe, here. It was super yummy! Quickly threw it together before heading over to watch The Bachelor with the girls. Speaking of Bachelor, super annoyed that Ben picked psycho Courtney. Every time they pick the crazy, I swear I won't watch the next season, but I always do! I am a sucker for the useless drama!

Playing with trains and trucks from his cousins, James and Bradley. They really likes playing with them. They definitely keep him entertained.

What are you looking at, cutie?

Kiss Me I'm Irish! My little Irishmun on St. Patty's Day!

We got some new furniture for our patio! I am so excited! Here, Jake is putting it all together.  More on the patio furniture in another post.

I got Preston some new toys. Here, he is playing with the basket of fake food. He thoroughly enjoys chewing on it, banging it on the floor, and throwing it.  

Can you say teething?? Look at that pool of drool! Those teeth are coming in fast, but not fast enough!

Part of the new toy purchase: stacking blocks.  He hasn't mastered the stacking concept yet, but he likes the colors!!

His new ball.  He LOVES it! We play roll the ball (I roll it to him and he pushes it every which way ;) On Friday night, we watched the Saint Mary's basketball game, and we were dribbling the ball around the living room. He got a kick out of it!  

That's it in a nut shell. It is rainy and gloomy here today.  Guess, it wasn't the best weekend to enjoy our newly purchased patio furniture! It is supposed to be in the 80's here later in the week....so I will take more pics then :)

Happy Monday!

Pomegranate Sangria

Happy Friday!!

What better way to celebrate Friday, than with a yummy cocktail.

This yummy sangria recipe is full of citrus and kiwi. Check it out:

POMEGRANATE SANGRIA

Ingredients:

~1 bottle of dry white wine

~1 cup light rum

~1.5 cups OJ

~2 cups pomegranate juice

~2-3 cans ginger-ale, depending on how big your pitcher is

~1 orange, sliced into edible pieces

~2 kiwis, sliced into edible piece

~pomegranate seeds (completely optional if you can't find any)

Directions:

1. Place sliced fruit at the bottom of the pitcher

2. Pour wine in first

3. Add juices, ginger-ale & rum, a little at a time so all are proportionate. Depending on how big your pitcher, you might not be able to fit each in.

4. Stir and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

5. Enjoy!

{Original source}

Hope you can sit down tonight and enjoy this tasty concoction.  Put your feet up, take a load off, and enjoy. You deserve it!

Teething: The Joys {and tears}

Yesterday, was one of those days.  Preston was MISERABLE. Nothing I did made him happy.  I'd put him down and he'd cry. I'd pick him up and he'd cry. I put him in his walker and he'd cry {this is my, no fail, go to solution when he is fussy}.

Finally, it was dinnertime, and I put him in his high chair {he threw a fit}. I served up some avo, pear & steamed carrots.  This made him happy for about 10 minutes.  Then he started rubbing his food all over his tray, and or course, cried and cried.

I then turned on the TV {don't judge}, at least it was a show on PBS.  I was desperate! This kept his attention for about 15 more minutes.

Then his Dada came home, and it was all smiles, for about 10 more minutes.  The closer it got to bedtime, the worse it got.

Then it was time for his bath. He loves bathtime. So that kept him happy for another 20 minutes or so.

Teething....a perfect way to steel the joy from a baby. I wish I could understand the pain that Babies go through when they teethe.

Yesterday was the worst I have ever seen him.  I am hoping it doesn't get worse than that.  He has four teeth right now, and he is working on 5 and 6. On the bad days, NOTHING makes him happy. The littlest things upset him.  The only thing that remotely helps are naps.  I try not to give him a lot of meds, but there are days he is so unhappy that he needs it. Advil seems to work the best. There is nothing fun about a baby who is in pain.  The sound of crying ALL DAY, will drive even the most patient person crazy.

Usually, after he gets a set of teeth, he has about a break for a month, until the next set.  This set was different, he got his front two, and then immediately has proceeded to get his next two top teeth. NOT FUN!!

Here are a few things that have worked for me to relieve his pain:
~ A sippy cup full of ice and water
~ Those ice packs, used to cool burns or bumps and bruises (we call them boo boo ice).  They usually have a cover on them to make them not so cold. The regular frozen teething toys, were too cold for Preston, he cried when chewing on them.
~ Frozen wash cloths.  He loves sucking on them.
~ Frozen fruit in a mesh bag, like this one.
~ Sometimes, while teething, Preston has a really hard time winding down and falling asleep. A good cuddling session in the rocking chair, helps calm him down, and get him ready for sleep. {Plus, us Mama's get some quality baby time in}

I hope that if your little one is having a hard time with teething, some of these tips and tricks work for you.  Also, if you have any that work for you, I would love it if you'd share them with me. I am always looking for ways to ease my little boy's pain.

I miss this happy boy....

Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

Happy Thursday, Folks!

Our {LAST TWO WEEKS} in pics

Since I was laid up sick in bed last week, I wasn't able to post any pics last week. Here is what we have been up to for the past few weeks:

We got concrete poured, for our patio, in our back yard.  Thank you Mel & Mike for the awesome gift! :) 

Preston enjoyed watching

Preston and Daddy with the cement truck

Poor Pebs was locked up during the pouring.

Finished product.  Now we just need to get some furniture on it so we can start enjoying it and the gorgeous Spring weather.

Our dinner one night. Honey Shrimp & Avo Salad. For the recipe, go here. 

Before we stopped baby food, Preston really enjoyed feeding himself. A few pics below about starting finger foods. 

He LOVES water & his sippy. 

Our little man has been on the move for about a months now...I realized I hadn't shared it yet. I love it that he can crawl now. He is so much happier! ;) 

His new favortie thing to do...book it straight for the diaper caddy.... and pull everything out! He's even got that little smirk on his face, like he knows he just did something he wasn't supposed to!

My awesome husband cleaned our carpets last weekend. It is a big project to take on, but with Mr. P crawling everywhere these days, we decided we needed to do it.  Thanks, Babe! 

I was looking through my photos the other day, and realized that I have a lot of pictures of preston sleeping when he was younger, but none as of late. So, one morning, I snuck into his room while he was napping, and snapped with pic with my iPhone.  He looks so peaceful!

This past week, we started doing finger foods. Preston is SO over baby food. Every time I would try to feed him, he would wave his arms, and say, "nananana!" I have figured out that is his way of saying, "no!"  Plus he would grab for whatever I was eating. Soooo....this is a pic of his first finger foods (besides puffs & yogurt melts), banana!! He loves feeding himself! He feels like such a big boy. Some of his favorite foods are avocado, sweet potato, bananas, and crusty bread or bagels.  

Typical play session

My little monkey!

It was such a beautiful morning, this past Friday, so he enjoyed sitting by the door, enjoying the fresh air.

I snapped a series of pictures of his inch work move. 1st

2nd

3rd.  Look at that face....love him!

One of his new favorite hobbies...walking holding on. This kid is ready to move! 

I just can't get enough of this of little goober!

Happy.

I whipped up some pancakes Sunday morning....he devoured them! 

I know that there are a lot of pics in this post. Thanks for sticking with me and scrolling through them all! Hope all of you keep healthy.  Happy Monday!

What's In My Diaper Bag?

I apologize for being MIA lately.  I am just getting over Bronchitis.  NOT FUN! Being sick when you have a little one to chase after is incredibly challenging. Just one more thing, no one told you about when you got preggo ;) But, we all survived. I feel a ton better, and neither my Hubby or Baby Boy got sick (so far). Yay! 

I was cleaning out my diaper bag this morning and figured I would share the things that I found.  Here is the List:

1. Container of Snacks 

My Sister & Mom got me this nifty little contraption for Christmas.  It is made by InnoBaby. It holds three different types of snacks (or formula).  It has been one of the biggest helps. I can't even tell you how many compliments I have gotten on it. Like it? Get yours, here.

2.  A bottle

 In case, Mr. I'm Grumpy When I'm Hungry, Preston gets hungry or fussy.

3.  A Plum Baby Squeeze Pouch of Fruit

A life saver if you are out in public, and your little one gets hungry.  Check out the flavors and varieties, here.

4. A sippy cup of water

 Preston loves, loves, loves water!! We introduced a sippy cup a few months ago, and he loves them! When he is teething, I put some ice in his water, and will drink almost the whole cup!

5. A Dr. Suess book

Preston loves books.  He loves to be read to, but he also likes to read by himself. He really enjoys sitting and flipping the pages of the book. He even makes little noises as he turns the page....so cute!

6. Shoes  

These, specifically, are from Target. You can find them, here. This morning I went on a walk with my girlfriend Stacy, and Preston managed to kick off one shoe as we walked laps around the park. I noticed it too late, but a kind lady walking her dog, picked it up and gave it back to us.  At least someone was paying attention! ;)

7. Diapers, wipes, and a changing pad 

 I find that when Preston needs his diaper changed, it is a lot easier to grab, my Diapees & Wipees, pouch and head to the nearest changing table. It is much easier than digging through the whole diaper bag looking for each individual item. Check them out, here.

8. A brush

Yup, even a little 9 month old baby boy needs his hair brushed. 

9. One sock

The sock monster has struck again!! I can't even tell you how many socks I have, that don't have a mate!! So sad. Most of them eventually show up in the end, but it still drives me crazy!!

10. Hand Sanitizer

After just getting over bronchitis, I am obsessed with keeping sanitary. There are so many germs floating around right now, better to be safe than sorry!

11. Advil

In case, it's one of those days, or I have a pounding headache.

12. A plastic baggie full of random items

Disposable spoons, a venting system to a bottle (don't ask why...I have no clue!)

13. Formula Dispenser

Makes it super easy to make a bottle on the go. Just pour into your pre-measured water bottle, shake, and voila...baby has a bottle...and all is right in their world.

14. Boogie Wipes

Since Preston has been teething, his nose has been icky, runny, & boogery.  These wipes have saline solution on them to help the boogies come out easy. I will take all the help I can get, since Preston HATES it when I touch his nose!

15. My old, faded, Coach wallet

I am really in need of a new wallet. It is so old. But, won't be able to buy anything with out it!

16. Toys

Annoying bells & teethers.  That is what is keeping Preston happy these days. Whatever keeps him busy, makes me happy. Hopefully, people around us don't mind ;)

17. A pen and an old Starbucks receipt

You never know when you are going to need a pen. I always have one in my bag for emergency use. And the receipt...the exact reason why I am cleaning out my bag ;)

18. A Paci

We are getting rid of this in a week, when Preston turns 9 months old.  UGH! It is going to be so hard. But out Pediatrician says it will be easier now than when he is one or two. Plus, it is bad for his incoming teeth.  I am sure you will be seeing a future blog post about this subject soon.

19. Hand & Face Wipes

Ever since Preston has started to eat food, these have come in handy.  When we are out to dinner or over at a friends house, these are so handy when it comes time to clean our messy boy up.  

There ya have it! If you are wondering if I use ALL of this stuff, the answer is yes. There have been days where I have pulled out each and every item shown here. Just one more glimpse into our crazy life. 

Happy Friday, Friends!

Spring Bucket List {Free Download}

Spring has sprung here in Vegas!! I compiled this list of things I want to accomplish before Spring is over. {Feel free to steal it from me ;)}What's on your Spring Bucket List? 

Happy Spring! Enjoy the warmth, sun & fun :)

A Few of My Favorite Things

I wanted to share a few of my favorite things.  These are just a few things that I am loving right now.  
1. Moroccan Oil

My Sister (thanks, Robin!) got me some Moroccan Oil for Christmas, and I have been addicted ever since!! I just finished my first bottle...yup...a small bottle lasted me two months.  I just bought another bottle and am loving it. It makes my hair feel super soft, and since I have curly hair, it tames the frizz.  I highly recomend it! You can get your bottle, here.

2.  My Cropped LuluLemon Gather & Grow Crops

I have been doing a lot of walking with Preston outside lately, and these pants are perfect for the Spring like weather we have been having.   They are perfect because not only are they cute, but they keep me the right temperature...I don't get cold, but I don't get hot. They are also wonderful, "Mama Pants".  They are very conducive to our active lifestyle- chase after your little one, cook, and clean in these bad boys...they make it easy to maneuver. Check out them out here.

3.  White Jeans

One of my favorite fashion picks for spring and summer (another post on that later).  It has been feeling more and more like Spring here in Vegas, so I have decided to break them out a little earlier than normal this year.  They look great with the current nautical styles and bright fun colors out right now.

They are from the B.P Department at Nordies. Go here to get them.

4.  La Croix Sparkling Water

I love to drink water, and I know how important it is for you.  I also love diet soda, and know how not so good it is for you.  I get bored with just regular old water sometimes.  I love carbonation. La Croix Sparkling Water is an awesome alternative to diet soda, and you still get to enjoy the bubbly carbonation. They have no calories and no sugar, and are very refreshing. My favorite flavors are the Berry, Grapefruit and Lime.  They sell them at Target. Check out the flavors here.

5. My yellow and burlap,"Kate Spade knock off", Old Navy flats

  

I LOVE yellow (they also have the same style in blue).  It is so bright and happy. Great for spring and summer.  Have you seen these cute Kate Spade Flats?  Well, I found them at Old Navy (in store only) for $22!! Score! They bring a pop of color to a plain and everyday outfit.

6.  Big & Fun Stud Earings

These days, if I attempt to wear dangly earings, my son will attempt to rip them out of ear lobes.  I rather keep my ears pierced and not go through all of that pain.  My solution? Fun studs like the ones above.  I seem to find really great ones at Francesca's.  They are safe for wondering and curious little hands and they dress up and pull together any outfit.

7. Anything Chevron

I just bought some chevron dish towels & baskets at Target and some chevron bracelets at Nordstorm BP.  

Happy Friday!! Enjoy your time with you loved ones & this spring like weather! :)