HELP WANTED!

So since I'm a M.I.T. (Mother in Training) and don't know much, I'm asking for some advice on what to feed my child! Boston has always been SUCH a great eater but the past few days has been REFUSING baby food--even the stuff he usually LOVES! Normally he will down any bottle, squash, bananas, sweet potatoes, even GREEN BEANS! Now he officially just spits them back after 10 bites or so. This used to mean "I'm full" but now I don't think that's what he is communicating to me because I know my sons appetite and you can tell by just looking at him that he's not one to turn away food! If I put cheerios or goldfish (I hope that's ok...) on his tray he will have his plate cleared in an instant! So now my delimma is what to feed this guy! I get so nervous because there is SO much out there they ARE NOT supposed to have until a certain age or whatever and then something is a choking hazard or whatever! So all of you "experienced" mothers out there, if you have any suggestions on what to feed him, I would LOVE to hear your advice because I'm clueless! OH! And how will I know that whatever I'm giving him is filling him up?!?! Because if Boston doesn't have a full belly, I can say goodbye to his 2 hour naps!

P.S. Does anyone know a "miracle" sippy cup that a baby will take? I've been offering Boston one for a LONG LONG time and still no such luck and I'm thinking I need to try a different kind....

"RECIPE OF THE WEEK!"

I have been doing SOOO well at cooking instead of eating out and I'm VERY proud of myself! In doing so, I've been venturing out and trying new recipes-Kent LOVES to try new things. So, I have decided that every week I'll post something I made that I REALLY like so that if you're interested you can try it!!! Hopefully this will help motivate me to keep up the good work!

CAN WE SAY SUFFOCATION?!?

I went in to get Boston from his afternoon nap today and this is how I found him sleeping....

EASTER!

So I was a little disappointed in Boston's first Easter but as Kent said to me over and over "It's about celebrating Christ's resurrection and not about the easter basket, outfit or treats!" Which is the truth and I'm guilty of concentrating on the wrong thing this year. I promised myself that I will be better about this next year and years to come.

I was a little late in getting the whole "EASTER" thing put together hence my disappointment of not getting the right outfit, the right easter basket resulting in not getting our easter eggs dyed on time. Oh well, it all turned out just fine and so here are a few pictures of our short lived Easter Sunday.

Dying the eggs before church (we have church at 12:30 so we have time to do stuff like this)

And the Easter shoot begins....

Boston didn't want to sit still (like always) so we handed him his pacifier & bottle and on the count of 3 we were going to take it away and get a quick shot. Well, every time on the count of three Boston was gone too!

Peace out ya'll!

Found the "just for looks not for Boston to eat" candy in his basket and sat there VERY content until I realized what he had!

I let him suck on it a little bit longer so I could atleast get ONE shot of him and his basket of goodies the Easter bunny brought!

PAPA CAME TO VISIT!

My dad called me earlier this week to inform me that he was headed to Houston Saturday/Sunday but wanted to come to Dallas Friday night/SaturDAY to visit! Of course we jumped at the chance to have him come and we are so glad that he came! He treated us to a nice dinner at La Hacienda Ranch (MEXICAN) Friday night and then took us to Cracker Barrel breakfast Saturday morning! I love having my dad around and being able to talk to him about life, the gospel, politics, and sports! Whether or not he's right or not, in my mind ever since I was a little girl, I always believe and trust the advice or knowledge he tells me! Thanks for coming to visit dad! Boston was SOOO glad you came and ALWAYS thrilled to see his PAPA!

See the resemblance?

Papa reading to Boston!

OUR SUNDAY AFTERNOONS!

On Sunday, Boston was walking around doing his on thing when Kent randomly made a "fart" noise. All the sudden Boston stopped in his tracks and repeated the same "fart" noise Kent made. He wasn't even facing Kent and didn't even turn to face him when he did it. He just made the noise and kept going. We thought this was HILARIOUS and did it again and once again he did it! We captured this hilarious moment on camera and had to post it! You may not think it's that funny but I guess being a parent the weirdest things your child does makes you laugh!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIDNEY!

The BIRTHDAY GIRL dressed in her new "skinny" dress Grandma gave her and with one of the presents we got her.

Saturday was Sidney's 7th BIRTHDAY! We were so happy to be able to celebrate it with her since Leslie and her just barely made the move to Dallas to work in Source's office! Saturday was Sidney's day to pick whatever she wanted to do. So what does a 7 year old want to do on her birthday?! Go to a SCIENCE MUSEUM! It was not as great as we expected it to be but Kent took her on a swan ride aka paddle boats, then we ate SUSHI (yes it was my FIRST experience and I actually liked it-thanks Leslie for picking out some good options and YES this is what this 7 year old wanted for her birthday dinner!), went to a place called "BONKERS" for Sid to run around and play in this huge play place then we headed back to our place for cake and ice cream! It really was a fun day and hopefully Sid had a good time even though it wasn't with all her friends and family! We love you Sid and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

This was Sidney's bday cake Leslie and her made---we found out that not using vegtable oil in cake batter makes it not so fluffly but it tasted GREAT! Sidney decorated it herself!

TOUGH TIMES FOR OUR LITTLE GUY

Boston officially has the WORST diaper rash EVER! Last night when I was changing his diaper he started SCREAMING the instant I wiped his bum. It was so hard to change his diaper but luckily we got through it. Every time he needs to be changed, it literally is a team effort between Kent and I to change and put desitin on him because he screams, flexis his legs, tries to roll over and lifts his butt up in the air! He must be in SOO much pain and I feel terrible! I just wish he would stop pooping so much. He literally has about 7-8 poopy diapers a day! It's terrible and I KNOW that's why he has a diaper rash. I bought a different kind of pamper's "SWIPER" wipes and hopefully it will help...we'll see! Any advice for TERRIBLE diaper rash or how do you stop him for doodooing so much!??

Speaking of the pain Boston is going through, I finally went today to get his blood drawn (I was supposed to go like 2 weeks ago!) to check for diabetes, anemia and one other thing but I forgot. Initially when we got there, everything was fine, Boston was happy and smiling at the nurses. Then they put the rubber band around his arm and restrained his arm to look for a vein. Well, number one Boston HATES having his arm restrained or even moved by anyone anyway and number two they tried it in BOTH arms and couldn't find a vein (must be like his mom because they always have a hard time finding my veins too) so they moved on to the finger prick! So now Boston has his arm restrained AND his fingers/hand restrained. By now he's screaming because just having himself restrained like that KILLS him. He's so strong and is trying to pull away that they nurse dropped the blood collector thing 3 times! Finally, she pricked him (which to him wasn't even the worse part he just hates people holding his arms/hands), got all the blood she needed, then Boston got lose and blood went EVERYWHERE! She finally got back a hold of him and was able to put this HUGE bandage over 2 of his fingers and by the time we were in the car he it ripped it off with blood getting every where! So when we got home, I put a bandage on which probably lasted 5 minutes but at least it was on long enough for the blood to stop! I feel bad for the little guy but I'm just glad it's over and now all we have to focus on is getting rid of the HORRIBLE rash!

NAME UPDATE!

Kristin and Chad FINALLY decided on a name for my nephew! They pulled one out of left field and didn't even choose from the list they had!

CHARLIE JOSEPH WITHERS!

Welcome to the world CHARLIE!

*sorry I have no more pictures to help me brag about how cute he is. Things have been a little busy in the Withers household and I haven't gotten any new pictures emailed to me yet!

BABY BOY IS BORN...and no NOT mine!

I just wanted to congratulate Kristin and Chad on the newest member of their family---BABY BOY (they don't have a name for him just yet--Max Joseph Withers or Samuel(sam) Joseph Withers)!!

DATE: March 11, 2008

TIME: 6:29 PM

WEIGHT: 8 lbs 10 oz (yes he already has rolls on his body!)
HEIGHT: 19.5 inches

I'm so excited and happy for them! Kristin went in yesterday around 10 am to be induced, her water was broke around noon and at 6:29 pm after 4 pushes the little guy (well rather LARGE) guy came right out! She makes it all seem sooooo easy! Rylee is THRILLED to be a big sister to her new little brother and I think Sophie is still too little to care as much! Kristin you look great and so happy! I personally think he looks more like Chad with a Bluth nose! I just want to hold him and kiss his chubby cheeks! CONGRATS YA'LL WE CAN'T WAIT TO MEET HIM IN A FEW WEEKS!!!!...oh and hurry up with that name!

INDIAN EGGS?

Yesterday, Kent said he wants to start a new tradition in our house that on Sundays he will make some kind of desert! He has SUCH a sweet tooth--me not so much so his sweet tooth doesn't get satisfied that often--so I think he finally decided to take matters into his own hands! Well, I am in the need to go grocery shopping (I always wait until I'm down to like NOTHING in the house before I go) so Kent didn't have alot of options yesterday. The one ingredient he needed in just about every recipe was EGGS and of course we had none. Kent being the optimist that he is goes and borrows eggs from our Indian neighbor....he only needed one but they insisted he take the rest of what they had---4 eggs total. Long story short, he made the cookies, they tasted great and we probably had one too many! Well at about 5 this morning, I wake up and Kent asks me what time it is and tells me that he is feeling AWFUL! He is shaking (literally the entire bed was moving from being so cold), aching and said that if he concentrated hard enough he could throw up! I wasn't feeling too hot myself! So I grab Kent a THIRD blanket on top of the down comforter and quilt he's already using, turn up the heat, grab the hot pad for him and turn off the fan. His shaking somewhat subsides, I'm feeling nauseous but finally roll back over and fall asleep hoping this mess would pass. Well this morning, Kent is laying on the couch still not wanting to move from feeling SOOO terrible, I'm weak and nauseous and Boston now ONCE AGAIN has ANOTHER runny nose! Honestly, Kent and I both agree we were poisoned by our neighbors EGGS and that's why they wanted to give us all four!!! They must have something different in those eggs that are making us feel this way! We were so appreciative they let us have some eggs but now not so much! These are the days I wish someone was here to tend to us and baby us and most of all watch Boston so we don't have to chase him around all day! But I guess that's part of being a parent--even when you're sick you never get a break!

HOUSE HUNTING
So now that we officially backed out of our house this week, we are once again on the search for a new home. Today we went out to get some more ideas of what is available to us. We found this house and we made an appointment to go look at it with the realtor on Monday!

TAGGING IT UP!

10 years ago:

• Let's see, I was 14. We had just moved back to Louisiana (which at the time I was SOO upset about) and I started school up at Parkview Baptist where I would be the next 5 years! I was struggling getting back into the swing of things in a new social environment. My 1st soccer season on the high school varsity had just ended (I think we lost in the state semi-finals that year) and I was looking forward to going to church dances and getting out of beehives...FINALLY!

5 Things on my to-do list today:

• Read to Boston
• Clean Dishes from last night since the drain was clogged AGAIN!
• Buy Boston some learning toys
• Finish cleaning down comforter
• Update Blog

5 Snacks I enjoy:

• Popcorn
• Chips and Guacamole
• Chips and Velveeta Dip
• Chips and 7 layer dip
• Anything Mexican

What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:

• I would be the good church goer that I am and pay my tithing--now taxes that's a different story! =) I would have my dad invest a huge chunk, buy a mansion and higher Kari to come decorate my house, buy vacation homes and other real estate in Mexico, Florida, Park City, Italy, New York City and Louisiana, buy fun toys like 4 wheelers, a boat, jet skis, etc. Donate money to a good cause, travel and go on an African safari......oh yeah and buy my range rover/escalade!

3 of my bad habits:

• Impatient
• Spending too much time blogging
• Addicted to TV

Places I've Lived:

• Colorado Springs, CO
• Columbus, Ohio
• Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Prospect (Louisville), Kentucky
• Provo, Utah
• Rexburg, Idaho
• Carrollton (Dallas), Texas
• Charlotte, North Carolina

Jobs that I have had:

• Babysitter back in the day
• Working for my dad at Hancock Bank
• Waitress at Cheeburger Cheeburger
• Western Watts
• Source Pest Control office girl

5 Things people don't know about me:

• I now play Halo with Kent at night.
• I love CHANGE--except for moving and meeting new people kinda change. I get sick of the same old house decor and want to buy all new or want to get a new car and I can't even imagine living in one house for YEARS on end! I just like to see something new and fresh for a change!
• I have a HUGE problem with sweaty palms and feet! Even when I'm freezing my hands will have water droplets on them--sick I know! I've heard you can get botox to stop the sweat and whenever we get that BILLION dollars as mentioned above, I'll have to get that done!
• My bed HAS to be made before I get in it at night even if for some reason it doesn't get made that day (which I can't STAND), I will make it right before we get into bed. I also hate it when Kent lays on the bed after I've already made it and moves the pillows or wrinkles the bedding!
• I hate clutter and if I've had something for a long time and never use it, no matter WHAT it is, I'll just toss it in the trash and I'll never think twice about it again. If you only KNEW the things I've thrown away!

I tag: Kiersten, Jamie, Ciara, Cassie, and Jennifer

SNOWED IN!

So once again, for the SECOND time this week it SNOWED! I don't understand where all this is coming from (so much for global warming Al Gore). I decided that this would just be a day of snuggling up and staying cozy! I let Boston stay in his pajamas all day and we read books
and watched movies (Baby Einstein...not much into Batman Begins yet) while cuddled up in blankets! Later, Kiers and Taylor dared the roads (which by the way the snow was TEN times worse by your house...so sorry to make you take the trip) and I whipped up crawfish fettuccine and brownies after the chillins were put to bed as we HALOED it up! Yes, Kiers and I attempted to join our husbands' online game playin---which I must say I think we enjoyed it more than they did. Kiers was the strong silent type while I just talked smack. Although we lost about every game, I would venture to say that by the last game of the night we had improved...and also maybe a little ADDICTED! GOOO ZELDA AND XENA (gamer names...you wouldn't understand)!

Cheesin it up for the camera...I finally got a picture that shows his 4 teeth up top that have been trying to come in for the past few months!

Dazed while watching Baby Einstein!

BUSY DAY!

I've been somewhat of a slacker lately when it comes to keeping the house up to par. I'm usually a freak when it comes to keeping the house clean and having everything in it's place. It literally stresses me out knowing things are a mess! So today, I finally decided it was time for me to get to work! Here's a list of things accomplished today:

Unloading Dishwasher

Loading Dishes

Cleaning BOTH bathrooms

Vacuuming entire apt.

Vacuuming bathrooms free from Stella hair and MY hair

Washing/Drying laundry

FOLDING laundry (approximately 5 loads...I HATE laundry)

Putting away clutter

Maybe looking at that list it doesn't seem too busy but trust me, I feel like I didn't get a break today-from playing with Boston while he's awake to cleaning up while he's napping! I've finally put him to bed and I have another load or two to take care of then I'll be able to feel a little bit better about my house! Maybe staying busy will bring Kent home faster tonight--he has been gone all day working and as soon as he got home tonight he walked right back out the door to go to a Dallas Stars hockey game! LUCKY GUY!

SSOOOO BIG!

Okay, I've been trying to get Boston on camera while walking with this toy for SOO long! He can do it just fine but whenever I turn on the camera he gets really excited and can't perform for me. He's obsessed with the camera and when he hears it turn on he smiles SOO big and tries to come towards it and loses all concentration on what he WAS doing. Anyway, I FINALLY got him walking with this toy today after 3 different takes! This first video is from like a month ago and I know maybe I'm a mean mom for showing this but this is what it's been like EVERYTIME I've recorded! ENJOY!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S......SNOWING?

There was all this talk about possible snow yesterday and of course I totally thought it was a far off guess! Since when are weather men right anyway? Well, sure enough I was proved wrong last night! Kent and I went to the mall last night and there was a little hail coming down. Well, about an hour or so later after we came out of the mall, sure enough there was snow on the ground! No, this was no Rexburg winter snow AT ALL but it did stick for a few hours and was really coming down on our drive home last night! A little bizarre to think of snow in Dallas first of all and then on top of the fact that we were having BEAUTIFUL 70 degree weather all weekend and then on Monday..BAM IT SNOWS! CRAZY! It was fun for last night but I'm ready to get back to that 70 degree weather again!

WIPING OUR HANDS FREE!

We officially backed out as of yesterday on our house! No turning back now!