AGAIN?! and an announcement

Yes, illness is in our house once again. Thankfully, only Noah has been sick, so Mommy can take good care of him. Runny nose, coughing that prevents his sleeping, and lots of whining...

But despite it all, we had a nice weekend. First, I will upload a few pics from our recent trip to Indiana. Noah traveled in the car well for the 7 hour trip. He remained on schedule and adjusted much better than last time!

We saw all kinds of friends and family, and even managed to squeeze in some Christmas photos.




















We also got to see Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Mark!! They treated me to my favorite meal: fettucini alfredo from Olive Garden. We had fun making Noah laugh and playing the family piano.









This is Noah with his friend, Maggie, at Mallow Run Winery. We listened to live music and let the kids play in the grass while munching on cheese and crackers.







And the Halloween pics:

Isn't he the cutest sock monkey you've ever seen?? We went trick or treating with residency friends then visited our favorite aunt Ashley.










So on to this weekend. Friday night I had my husband home (yay!) I was really in the mood for Olive Garden again so we had a family dinner date before heading to Toys R Us. (Oh, the life of parents...)








Saturday, Ashley and I hit the mall to eat breakfast with Santa. Santa was greeting kids at the Chick Fil A and was available for pictures. This is why I love Chick Fil A!!! They also had a balloon animal maker, handed out reindeer food, and gave out free kids' meals.












Thanks to Ashley for treating my little Noie so special.

Overall, I'm tired of always having that feeling of "needing to catch up"...I'm late on 10 month pics. My house is a disaster zone. And I'm just plain exhausted. I mean, I just blogged how many weeks worth of pics?!

I guess the exhaustion is warranted...

I'm pregnant!!!!! Yes, it's true. I don't know how far along yet, but the double lined first response rarely lies. I threw a baby shower for a friend this week that almost put me over the edge. The energy just isn't there. At first, I thought it was all the traveling. I've been taking Jet Alert (see a previous post!) because I'm so. so. so. tired.(don't worry, I've stopped since I've learned of the pregnancy.) There you have it: a baby has been sucking it right away from me. It's ok, I guess it needs it more than I do. Noah, however, isn't lacking on energy. He will be 1 1/2 when baby #2 arrives.

I'm very surprised that this happened so quickly...3 months of trying and I was supposed to get on Clomid for my "no cycles" nonsense. Ummmm, it took about 2 weeks of "not preventing"---HOW BLESSED AM I? I am so thankful and don't take this lightly because I know many couples who are trying desperately to conceive.

:)

I'm going to BED!

Week in Review

So this week has been as fast as any of the other weeks in our house.

I'm officially dealing with a picky eater. It doesn't really bother me because I am also a very picky eater...it just makes meal times much, much longer (and messier, as he likes to spit and fling food at me). Right now he likes cheese, fruit, and oatmeal. That's it. I force feed him one food each day that he doesn't like because I'm a mean mom like that. It's how I roll.

Don't let this happy face fool you, he didn't manage to get any 'sketti in his sweet little mouth.





One night, the residency wives organized a recipe swap centered around soups. I made chicken and gnocchi soup, which tasted JUST like Olive Garden's soup. It was delicioso. Here's the recipe in case you want to give it a try. It makes enough for about 6-8 hearty bowls of soup.

Ingredients:

3 -4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups half-and-half
1 stalk celery, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 carrot, shredded
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper
16 ounces potato gnocchi
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)

Directions:

1
Saute the onion, celery, garlic, carrot in oil over medium heat until onion is translucent.
2
Add chicken, chicken stock, half and half, salt and pepper, thyme. Heat to boiling, then add gnocchi. Gently boil for 4 minutes, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.
3
Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.
4
(Heat to boiling and add cornstarch dissolved in 1-2 Tbsp water at this point if you want a thicker soup.).
5
Ladle into bowls and serve!




We saw the McDowell's for the first time since their wedding! Amanda made a mexican meal shared with us and the Mays.





We had yet ANOTHER bout of illness strike...thankfully only Michael got sick, so atleast someone was well enough to take care of him. The poor guy slept for a solid 24 hours.



We went to Hobby Lobby...Darn pinterest has me making lists of crafts that I know I just "need" to complete. So far, we did a Halloween project with Noah's footprints which was inspired by this:



Turns out it IS possible to get a 9 month old to cooperate when using paint and appendages.

I also sewed a blanket and pillowcase for my mom's house. She wanted Noah to have a retro cowboy themed room when he goes for visits. I love this fabric!!! I used this and red minky fabric.






Noah has been looking extra cute for Bible study the past few weeks:







There's also lots of work being done around the house. 2 of my favorite men are working on their laptops. Like father, like son.




Today we went to a Mickey Mouse birthday party for a 1 and 2 year old. Fun was had by all except for my son. He loves being picked up by adults. He does NOT love other children. The noise frightens him into a tizzy. One verse of Rylee singing her ABCs and he was ready to go home. ::Sigh::









Oh and finallllllly Amy makes her blog debut. I had a coupon for free queso at the new Mexican place in town!







Anyways, sorry so random. Trying to play catch up as usual and not in the biggest mood to write tonight. In fact, blogging this actually makes me feel a little bit worse tonight. I post these pics that were just taken in the last week or so....and each week really seems like a blur. I get so sad that time is moving so fast. I try my best to relish in each moment, but sometimes lose track of that when we have appointments and meal times, projects and laundry... the list goes on and on. I just want it all to slow down. I pray tonight for it to just. slow. down.

Ahhh, a deep breath

I feel so energized and great today...maybe because I gave into my old "addiction"...yes, Jet Alert, you are my friend. Jet Alert is like No Doz. It has the equivalent caffeine of one cup of coffee. And I LIKE IT! Watch me move! lol I'm trying not to get too used to them because caffeine isn't good when pregnant. And although I'm not pregnant now, I would like to be sometime soon!




So anyways...good fellowship this morning at Bible study. I was bouncing off the walls, which I'm sure frightened some of the women.

And all the way home (Noah was sleeping in the back seat) I was thinking about how I tend to fear death. And fear others' deaths. And I shouted in my head, "I am no longer scared!!!" Like a lightbulb turned on. I don't always live my life the way I'm proud of, but I'm so thrilled that I am making strides (though small at times) in the right direction. I am not promised tomorrow...no one is. The truth is that I may live a long, healthy life. Or I may not. That's just the way it is. And realizing this fact of life and death is powerful to me because I can choose to live my life (be it long or short) with the knowledge that I am living with PURPOSE. I will glorify God and in the end, I will be in Heaven. Isn't that the whole purpose of living?

How's that for a mid-week post?

October fun!

I can't believe October is half over. It's true, time flies when you're havin' fun! And boy, have I had fun. We have done a plethora of things in the past week, yet I still haven't managed to do a single thing on my to do list. I'm getting more used to that and letting go of my former task-minded self...

So, back to the f-u-n.

Last week we visited Donnell Century Farms to pick out a pumpkin with the Lovells. It was enjoyable taking pics of my little guy and the pumpkins. The 4 adults donned plaid shirts and Noah wore a shirt with a pumpkin on it that I sewed. All that was missing was some fresh apple cider.

Our congestion cleared up just in time for a bout of nausea...Michael took a sick day (the first EVER) and we took turns on Noah duty, napping alternately. Strangely, all I wanted to eat that day was pizza. Which made me question Am I pregnant?! Nope! Just tired, bloated, and craving fatty foods. What's new? lol

I've continued spending a frustrating amount of time sewing. I spend all this time sewing things that are so adorable when I picture them, only to mess up, wasting time and money. But I'm getting better. I have renewed hope! I've been working on 12 month clothes and Noah's winter wardrobe. I sew the numbers for his monthly pictures. I have 2 quilts to back. Christmas gifts to make. It seems like I will get enough practice in the next few months, like it or not.

Speaking of Noah's monthly pictures, he turned 9 months old. His daddy was able to assist me with pictures so he is SMILING rather than crying like his 8 month pics! He is all over the place these days, making it so hard to get a good pic.

This week he started walking with a push walker!!! And saying "da da". Not really directed at Michael, but saying da da da da... Big week for him!

We've had a trip to Memphis to eat at Central with the Lovells and Ashley's parents. Went to the Medina Elementary Fall Festival to see the Lovells. We've had a successful yard sale (also with the Lovells...it's a Wilkerson/Lovell post, I guess!).

I am still reading Grace Based Parenting and l-o-v-e it. I adore my son more than I could ever put into words. And this book is really encouraging me to be the best Mom that he deserves.

I honestly can't remember anything else that's happened lately....ya know, the usual grocery shopping, Target run, and so on. I've spent time with my friend Amy. I started ordering Christmas presents and preparing for the holidays. Just the same ol' same ol' here!

This week I have been thinking about doing so much more than what I am actually doing. And I'm thinking about how that needs to change. When will the thoughts become reality? I'm dealing a lot with feeling unproductive because I don't keep up with my house the way I did pre-baby, etc. My energy is almost non-existant and unfortunately I despise coffee. I know that my only job is to take care of Noah...and he requires eyes on him at. all. times. He's not an independent player and when he is, he is sticking his fingers in light sockets and eating our mail. So, really, it seems that my time to be productive is after his bedtime. But usually I just want to veg out on the couch then go to bed early. And by vegging on the couch, I mean catch up on Real Housewives. Anyways, enough of my thoughts...Enjoy the pics!

Achoo

Yes, we are sick at the Wilkerson casa this week. Noah has quite the snotty nose and has been febrile. I managed to catch it just in time for my yard sale this morning. Did y'all know that yard salers are nuts (with the exception of me, of course lol)?! Negotiating down from 50 cents is a bit ridiculous.

So onward we go, a review of my recent past aka a blog photo dump.

One wedding + one beach trip + family time and travel + bible study + yard sale + illness + mounds of errands = a tired mom. But it was all worth it. (The travel, that is!) What made it worse was that the 1st of the month was this week. Does any one else have a 1st of the month routine? I despise it, but it helps me to stay organized. I check the birthdays for the month/make note to buy cards, go to the bank, pay rent at the landlord's, invest and review investments, pay student loans and all other bills, and finally review our budget and spending. Double yuck.

I'm missing a pic of my mom...who is the absolute best. But I will make sure to get a special mom/daughter pic in 46 short days when I see her!!! A big THANKS to this mom b/c she is what made these travels possible.

So here's a few as promised: