Do or do not....

There is no try.
Sorry that was almost painful, I just needed to get that Star Wars quote out before I start this post.

Wade is a huge Star Wars fan, so we thought it would be fun to get a Yoda costume for Wyatt for Halloween. Until I saw the price tag: I'm sorry, my child does not wear articles of clothing that cost over $15. After looking at the pictures on the packing, the Yoda costume I found was basically a head piece with ears and a robe. My friend from work (shout out Mary!) said I should just google how to make my own costume, and voila, here we are! Here is how to make your very own Yoda costume, complete with little feet.

1.) Raid your closet for any piece of light or medium green clothing that you don't mind cutting up. The suggestion I found online was a sweatshirt, but honestly you could turn anything into a little Yoda head: an old t-shirt, pillowcase, etc.
I didn't have anything so I went to Goodwill and picked up an women's XS light green hoodie for TWO DOLLARS AND 50 CENTS. Hoodies work great b/c you're already one step ahead, simply cut the hood off and you're halfway there; just adjust the ties to fit your child's head.

2.) Cut out big, triangle ears from cardboard or foam board. Mine came from a Target diaper box. :)

3.) Next I cut off the sleeves and slid the cardboard inside (Sorry no pictures, Wade was on Daddy Duty while I tried to finish this). Cut off any extra fabric, tapering it at one end to follow the "ear" shape.

4.) Here's where you have some options. I have a sewing machine, so I just turned the fabric inside out and sewed along the ear's edge. I actually did this with the cardboard inside, (I don't know sewing machine etiquette, but hey it worked!), but you can pin the shape you need and remove it first. It should come out looking like a weird, pointy sock. Turn it outside in so you don't see the seam, and put the cardboard ear back in.
If you don't have a sewing machine, you can totally use hot glue or fabric glue instead; just cut out the ear shapes and glue them to the cardboard.

5.) Sew/glue the ears onto the sides of the hood. I actually did both, b/c it turns out my ears were WAY too big and needed the extra support. You could also safety-pin the top of the ear where it meets the hood for extra stability, and glue cotton balls around for hair. Just an option!

6.) With the extra fabric from the hoodie, trace an outline of a foot with 3 pointy toes a little larger than your child's shoe. Cut a small horizontal slit to stick their feet through before you put on their shoes, and you have instant Yoda feet.

7.) For the robe, I found a boy's size Small brown t-shirt for 99 CENTS.  If you have bigger kids, just get an adult sized t-shirt or even a robe and cut the bottom to fit. Yoda lives in the swamp (right Star Wars nerds fans?), so if it's tattered looking, even better! I turned the t-shirt inside out b/c it had a camp logo on the front.

8.) The end result: One excited looking baby! The total cost? $4.31 including the tax! And if he only wears this once and rips it or it falls apart, WHO CARES! It cost under $5!
I think I might have to trim the ears up a bit, they're WAY longer than I wanted, what do you think??

Please excuse the jammies underneath and the floppy hood, I was trying to get a couple of pics in before bedtime so I could post this! Still not sure about the ears, but you get the idea! Hope that helps someone out there!

Chicken Thighs are gross, and other fun facts

Ok, just recommitted myself to blogging more. Some days I feel like there's nothing to talk about, but I think that's the kicker -- if you just start writing, it will come.

 I think I may be getting old. We took a super quick road trip to DFW this weekend for my niece's baptism (shoutout to Chloe!), and driving home took an additional hour and a half because I-35 hates me. Anyway, my neck, back, and shoulders have been ACHING since we got home Sunday night. After self-diagnosing myself with fibromyalgia (hypochondriac + working for Disability Determination Services = no bueno), I came to the conclusion that I think I might just be getting o-l-d-e-r. I don't feel old, but I'm probably too old to sit in the backseat of the Corolla for more than 10 minutes.

This roadtrip was also a milestone in Miscommunication between Wade and myself. Since we were getting home so late, and since my Sweet Boy was turning into a Screaming Teething Boy, we decided to stop at Wendy's for dinner. Here is what we sounded like:
Wade, pulling up to order: "Ok, what do you want?"
Me: "I'll have a --*Wyatt screaming* -- and if he's still hungr --*more screaming*-- just give him some fries."
Wade: "Ok, so a number--*Wyatt kicking and screaming*--small fries?"
Me: "Yes, some--*you get the idea*"

And that's how 2 tired parents accidentally buy their toddler his own order of fries.
Also, any parents who are against using pacies for crying babies should definitely check out the greasy, processed food alternative; it works instantly and you'll even get a shriek or two of carb-loaded joy out of them. :)

Lastly, let's talk grocery shopping on a budget. Since spaghetti was getting old REAL quick, I decided to research some blogs online for how to shop for a family of 3 as cheaply as possible. One suggestion I kept reading over and over was to get chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. You could bake them, put them in chicken salad, etc, all at a fraction of the cost. So I bought a huge pack of them, and baked them with olive oil, italian seasoning, and bread crumbs.
And forgot to trim the fat.
And dumped too much olive oil in the pan.
And nearly choked on the nastiness that was the end result. It was so gross! I think if I type any more I might gag, again, but trust me, it was bad.
So, friends, any advice on creative ways to incorporate meat into our meal plans without going over budget?
(please exclude all chicken thigh recipes, unless someone can tell me how to really cook those things!)

Happy Tuesday!

What a difference a year makes

I've never really done a blog that's all about Wyatt and what's he's up to lately (or maybe I have and just forgot!), so anyway! Here's some recent 11 month happenings:

1.) Just saying 11 month old makes me want to cry, this year went by so FAST! Wade mentioned the other day that before long he'll be starting school and I yelled at him. :)

2.) 1st real hair cut! We tried Pigtails and Crewcuts first, and apparently on the Sunday before school starts you need to line up outside the store an hour before they even open, so we loaded BACK into the car and drove just down the way to Great Cuts. $13 bucks for a hair cut, certificate, AND they taped one of his curls to the paper for me. The owner also kind of got onto me about not having my child in shoes (lady, it was August in Texas, you're lucky my kid is even wearing pants), but after apologizing to the sweet stylist helping us, she said it was no big deal, and that she probably thought he was walking already.
The Dis/Advantages of having a ManChild :).

3.) Eating like a CHAMP! And to think, we had so much trouble at the beginning! Favorites include black beans, taco meat and spanish rice (don't judge, it was semi-homemade and he IS a quarter brown), and mandarin oranges. We also graduated from a bottle to a sippie cup this month; part of me misses having bottles around but the bigger part of me is so glad we don't have to wash all those anymore!



4.) He is pulling up (finally!) and pushing himself to sit up (finally!). I have never worried more about something being nothing in my life. God is amazing!

5.) New favorite word: "nnnnNO". Any advice to teach him to say "yes" is appreciated. He even repeats it when he overhears you talking on the phone.

6.) Speaking of rebellion, new favorite hiding place for food:

 

7.) He LOVES his puppy. We never intended for him to have a "lovie", and he can definitely sleep without it, but he's just so happy when his puppy is around, it's too cute not to give it to him! Puppy also has lost all stuffing in his legs, so we may be investing in some more Ikea substitutes.

8.) Because I can't end on an odd number :). My favorite thing so far this month: his new laugh! Our new tradition is to play catch when we get home from daycare. I know one day he'll trade me for Dada, so I am soaking in every minute of him crawling over to me holding his little football. Whenever he throws it (or does anything particularly amazing), I say "Haha!" with my mouth wide open. And because we've reached the parrot stage of development (see #5), he copies me and has made that his new laugh! It is SO fake sounding it's hilarious, and he looks like a punk kid when he does it!

A year ago today, our hot water heater burst and flooded our bedrooms, bathrooms, and hallways. This was all the morning after Hurricane Hermine hit Texas. It's so crazy to think that last year Wade was siphoning water out of our house using a garden hose until his brother came to help shut the water off, and this year we were "emergency watering" our yard this weekend in case the wildfires got too close. Some people have lost their homes and everything in them, and that's so so sad to me I don't even know what word to use to describe that. But one thing I've loved seeing is how Community is being strengthened. People in one affected area are turning down donations of groceries so they can be brought to the families who were harder hit; firefighters are coming from across the state and country to help fight a fire that isn't even halfway contained. Despite the fire destroying so much, there is Hope. And Hope does not disappoint.

Alright friends, time to watch some football and treat ourselves to treats from Sonic :).  Happy Thursday!

I am so over the 120 degree heat.

 Now that that's out of the way, I'm back! That was too long to go without posting anything!
I actually wrote a blog post back in August, but Blogger was being weird and slow and I never got to post it. And since I spent the last 30 minutes messing around on my settings, I'm going to use part of it because I want to go to bed :). Please don't judge, it's 10:30 at night. On a Saturday. 

****

Let's see, LOTS of updating to do! I finally figured out how to fix my title (thank you Google), so now it's perfectly aligned and my OCD-self can look at it without getting an eye twitch. I also last wrote over a month ago, so updating here we come:


1.) We started a budget! Whoohoo! Any young 20-somethings reading this just collectively yawned and hit the close button, but this is big stuff! I do love to be thrifty, and instead of looking at the budget as a horrible list of  "You can't buy this", I'm trying to learn to look at it as a list of "Be more creative in how you buy".
Hard? Yes. Worth it? Talk to me next month, I've already messed up once but was saved by the Grace of God and some garage sale earnings :).

2.) It is HOT. Watching the weather used to be my favorite part of the news, and now I can't bear to watch it. It's been 100 degrees and hotter for more than 51 days or something crazy horrible like that.
I can't wait for fall.

3.) I went thru a major craft episode. I know once fall gets here, my glue gun will be back in full force. Until then, some pics:

My sister in law's baby shower invites: I did "borrow" the ribbon idea from a post I found online and the brown paper idea from my friend Grace. Add in a Bag 'O Buttons from Hobby Lobby and voila! Baby shower magic.


 Poms for Wyatt's room, more pics to follow :)

3.) Our house is slowly being invaded by ants. Another least favorite thing about August in Texas: bugs. In your house looking for water. In places they should not be found, like the kitchen and on the living room floor at 6:20 in the morning, making you slightly late for work because you had to stop walking out the door and vacuum the living room to show them who's boss.
****
Also, college football started last night, thank the Lord. Now all I need is a hoodie and some 50 degree weather and I'm all set for fall!
Speaking of fall, and last thing before I hit the sack, we had family pictures taken in August, dressed in jeans and in "fall-ish" colors so we could use them for our Christmas cards. August. Fall. Christmas. Texas heat at 8 in the morning. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all, but bottom line they turned out AMAZING, a huge thank you again to KAJ Photography :). Seriously, Kim, you have an amazing gift, and if I could print all of them to hang in the house, I would!
Here's some more of my fav's:

Love them. And I love all the close ups of his face; sometimes when he's eating I like to lean in close to try and soak every detail in, but that usually results in getting poked in the nose by a slimy little finger. :)
Happy Labor Day, friends!

Houston, We Have Lift Off!

Quick post because I'm supposed to be grocery shopping right now before W wakes up from his nap -- guess who army crawled all over the living room this morning?!?!

 

This kid!! We've been working on it since his last check up to avoid an ECI referral :), and he finally crawled without screaming his head off! Still working on getting all 4 extremities (sorry for the work lingo) coordinated at the same time, but he is officially mobile! So Mom Mom and Dada are officially scrambling to baby proof the house! So far this morning, he's managed to find and attempt to open a Bible sitting on the floor, grab at cobwebs I didn't know were under the table, and attempt to manhandle and pull the ironing board around with him -- which, of course, he succeeded at doing because his mama forgot he has Man Strength. 

Later this morning, he managed to kick his full-of-poop diaper off the changing table, getting poop all over his foot, in between his toes, all down the wall and diaper genie, a stuffed monkey, and of course, his Mom Mom. This was all before 8am, and all before I had 2 sips of coffee, so I'm surprised I was even functioning.

Thursday, when he was still laying on his tummy and screaming while he tried to crawl, he managed to find and try to eat 2 non-edible items : one tiny piece of foil covering from the half and half carton, and something green and "leafy" that probably came from the ears of corn we ate last weekend. Both were scooped from his mouth after I realized the screaming had suddenly turned into chewing. 

If my Mama is reading this, this is all just a joke, my house is spotless at all times and my floors are never dirty :). 

He is also in a major "snuggle with Mom Mom" phase, which I am loving because I know in the back of my mind he'll be 16 before I know it and won't really want me constantly telling him how cute his chunker thighs are then. So yesterday after we got home from daycare, I was playing with him in his room and he pulled at me to pick him up. I stood him on my lap and he gave me the biggest smile ever. 

Then he pooped, growled at me, and licked my face. 

Have I mentioned how much I love having a little boy?!

Monday Funday

I usually hate when Wade says that, because Mondays are definitely NOT my fundays, but today was such a great day I just had to say it.

Why was today a great day, you ask??

Because this little guy took an hour and a half nap. At Daycare.

I almost said "Holla!" in front of Ms. Rosa when I picked him up today and she told me, but I didn't :). This was a MAJOR accomplishment, one that he really had no problem with a few short months ago. And he always naps like a champ at home. But lately I think he's finally realized there's so much to DO at Daycare, he'd rather play than sleep.
Making for a very cranky baby in the evenings for me and Dada to enjoy.
Ok I need just 5 seconds to baby talk about this picture:
"Wook at his wittle FACIE! He woves his food! Num num! Now say 'Mama'! Say 'Mama!' MAMA!"
And that's why he's looking at me all crazy. I love him. He's 9 months old today. It makes my heart happy and sad at the same time. Ah, motherhood, what sweet, intense emotions you bring.

In other news, I got a manicure this weekend, and ruined it as soon as I got in the car. Ugh. Maybe ruined is a bit dramatic there. I bumped my thumb on the sun visor getting into my car to go home, and smudged my cute hot-red/orange polish. But I sure did say, "ugh, ruined!". It gets worse. The next morning, after some awesome friend-neighbors dropped off farm-fresh tomatoes that taste like candy and have me convinced I need to start a garden PRONTO, I ran to Wal-Mart.

First mistake.

Actually, my first mistake was not buying Wyatt any food or formula when I went grocery shopping earlier in the week. And we all know how much the little chunker likes to eat. I tried to make my own baby food by blending organic chicken, brown rice, and chicken broth together. But I didn't get the consistency right and when we spooned it into his mouth, he didn't even chew, he just opened his mouth really wide and shoved it out with his tongue and looked at me like I was crazy.
Therefore, Wal-Mart. And second mistake.

After stocking up on baby food and kicking myself for not giving the chicken-and-brown-rice another go, I drove home and unloaded the car. When I reached to close the trunk, my fingernails caught the edge of it (ekk that gives me goosebumps again just thinking about it) and hot red/orange was transferred onto my silver paint.
And filthy black dirtness was transferred onto my nails. Gross.

Ugh. Ruined.

Then later that night, I tried to open my travel coffee mug and accidentally peeled off the other side of the 1st thumb trauma victim.

Life: 1. Manicure: 0.

I just realized the majority of this post was about me rambling on about my manicure. This is why I don't get these very often. Every time I chipped it, I would yell, "Ugh, ruined!" just to see what Wade would do.
His response was silence. Which is always tricky to read. I just take it as a sign to keep doing what I'm doing until I get a verbal response.

I also like to ask him what he's going to do when we have a little girl who's just like me one day. That always gets a major verbal response :).

Good night friends! I hope your Monday was also a Funday. And if not, praise God for Tuesdays!

Some Updates

Last night, I spent 5 minutes standing over my baby's crib listening to him laugh in his sleep.
I'm not sure which one of us was creepier.

It feels like forever since I've written anything, I'm going to try and do a quick recap, complete with photos, of course:

1.) Wyatt has a total of 6 teeth. Six. Thankfully, he's a good teether so far; I know the bigger the teeth get, though, that may change!

 

2.) My baby brother graduated from high school. I know, I cried too. I feel like it was just yesterday when my parents told us we were going to have another baby brother or sister. And I cried. Because that meant we were going to have to a.) sell my mom's brown Camry that always smelled so good and b.) our family would have an odd number of people. Dead serious, those were my two first thoughts. Any psychologists reading this, I am perfectly fine now and only have mild meltdowns whenever there's change. :) Anyway, baby Kevin came along and I couldn't imagine life without him. He has always been so full of life, and always does so good at anything he puts his mind to. Including climbing out of his crib when he was little, winning every kind of sports medal/trophy/whatever imaginable, and making his family very proud of him. Baby Kevin, I am so proud of you, and I can't wait to see what all God has in store for you!

 

3.) I feel like this season in my life has been one of stretching and growing and really learning and knowing what it means to wait on the Lord. I wish I could say it's been easy for me, but it hasn't. I've been learning to listen for God, and distinguish between Satan's voice of "you can't do this", "you aren't going to make it", and "things would be so much better if you were...", etc. The great Accuser.  "The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy", the Bible says. He steals our joy, he steals life from us. He tries to destroy our hope, our faith. And then Jesus says, "I have come that you may have Life, and have it to the fullest." John 10:10.  He gives us Life!

Learning to hear God's voice, saying "Come to Me, trust Me, nothing is impossible for ME." Nothing is impossible for Him. Getting out of debt, having a child, wanting to do well at your job, NOTHING is impossible for Him. The desires of your heart that He gave you, they are not impossible. 

That's what God's been reminding me of this week, and it was too huge not to share! I heard this song yesterday and want to share it with ya'll; hope you like Hillsong as much as I do :). 

Happy Saturday! 

Day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere

Whoops, only on day 6 of this song challenge thing!
I had a great weekend: watched my sweet little chunker learn how to hold his bottle and recover from a nasty cough like a champ (praise GOD!), went to my very 1st Tupperware party (hilarious but so hard not to buy every single thing!), enjoyed early morning trips with our little family to HEB and Wal-Mart (you know you're a parent when you've completed all your errands by 10am), and wrapped up the weekend with a fun dinner/fellowship/playdate with great friends.

Can I choose to just keep Sunday night instead of trading it in for a Monday morning?

 

Day 6 is supposed to be a song that reminds you of somewhere. I tried to look up "Lubbock, TX in My Rearview Mirror", but I couldn't find a good version :). But this song is just as good; I discovered it towards the end of my senior year of high school, as I was getting ready to move to the middle of nowhere and figure out how to do my own laundry. This song came on the other day while I was in the cafeteria at work, and I said to one of my friends, "This reminds me of college." She replied, "What does...the drug smuggling?"

Liz if you're reading this, you are hilarious. 

Day 6: The Road Goes On Forever by Robert Earl Keen

Resolving to stand firm

My week was sandwiched by croup and a borderline ear infection (not mine, but I'd trade in a heartbeat, poor Baby). I felt like I was running a marathon, and I really really hate running. It's times like these that if you're not on your guard, you will get knocked down. And I mean hard.

I debated even writing about this situation, but I really mean for it to encourage. I'm not going into specifics because there's a lot I'd love to share on here, but it is the internet after all and some things I'd just rather share with people face to face.

I have a desire that God's given me, and it's something that I've struggled with lately. The timing is just not right at this very moment, and I'm learning to daily wait on the Lord and to place my hope in Him. This is my new favorite verse:
"Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:14

But just because I read or memorize this verse doesn't mean my hope is without opposition. Usually the enemy attacks using Doubt. And it's almost worked, several several times. I start to doubt that desire will ever become a reality, I doubt if that desire is really from God, and I begin to doubt myself.

This week, he changed tactics.

This week, I was approached by someone who struck up a conversation with me, and within minutes, managed to tear a major hole in that hope. And by tear, I mean punched, ripped, and stomped on it. Leading to me having, again, incredible doubt and a serious 8th grade-worthy cry fest. But this time was different. I felt shock, hurt, and confusion that hung on my thoughts throughout the entire morning. At first, I was frustrated at the individual. But as I was processing everything later in the day, it hit me.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12

I could not get over how blindsided I had been by the whole conversation, and how it had such an intense affect on me. That's when I realized the game had changed. He was no longer using Doubt; that was becoming ineffective. Now he was using Guilt. You see, the odd thing about the conversation I had was that I agreed with the individual. They shared the same basic thoughts I do on the subject, but it was said in such a way that it leads me to believe it was intended to damage. It "validated" my fears and used my own guilt against me. I feel like this attack was calculated and stronger than ones ever have been in the past.

Long, slightly vague story short, we as Believers need to be at the ready. Satan is fighting a battle he will ultimately lose. Something that I've learned from a recent John Eldridge study (check him out if you haven't heard him before, God speaks mighty truth through this man) is that it is dangerous out there in the world. We are at war. There is good, and there is evil. Marriages are crumbling, parents are failing their children, and many are lulled into a dangerous complacency when it comes to being strong in the Faith. I've been guilty of this myself. So I'm writing this to encourage you. Take heart, have courage when you are being oppressed, when all seems hopeless. Christ came to give us Life! He brings Hope, He brings Healing, and He is right there for you just waiting for you to ask Him in.

I am resolving to stand firm. In Christ.
"Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm, therefore, having girded your loins with Truth, and having put on the breastplate of Righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of Faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of Salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."
Eph. 6:13-17.

I'm still doing the 30 day song challenge, but this song is one of my fav's and is so appropriate for now: Hillsong United -- You'll Come. Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day!

My first official Mother's Day was amazing, with just a couple of bumps in the road during the day. Wyatt got sick yesterday with that horrible croup cough I hope he never ever gets again (it scares me every time I hear it), and most of today was spent cuddling him and holding him down while we salined and bulb syringed his nose. He HATES that thing. A week ago, he had a little congestion, and I thought I had tricked him into thinking it was some kind of game. I'd say "Reeeaadddy?!" and he'd hold out his little nose and laugh after I squirted or syringed.
Apparantly that game only lasts a week and really only works when they're snotty but not sick. It took Wade holding down his feet --yes his feet-- and me holding down his arms with my elbows to get all the "junkies" out.
Mother's day present to myself? A nap.

Day 04 - a song that makes you sad
There are two of these, and as I looked them up, they made me too sad to even post them. So I'm just listing them and you can look them up yourself!
1.) Brick by Ben Folds Five: beautiful music, horribly sad lyrics.
2.) Cats In The Cradle by Harry Chapin: A cautionary tale for all you dad's out there! 

Day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
I don't really remember how this song became such a pivotal part of our college lives, but this song always reminds me of Renee, my college roomie and amazing friend. Sometimes when it comes on the radio, I'll still text her the lyrics :). So now that I'm feeling sentimental, I'll spend a quick second talking about her!
Renee was the first friend I met at Tech on the way to my very first class at Tech. Since that first class was Biology and it was being held in the largest classroom on campus (seats 400 people and I almost peed my pants from anxiety just walking in there), we sat by each other. And later laughed at someone tripping at the bottom of the stairs, thankful it wasn't us. Later still we learned that the student was deaf and that I was a horrible, horrible person for laughing.
This is a picture she lovingly made and sent me when we used to IM each other in our apartment.

 

 Obviously, a friendship made to stand the test of time. 

So here's the song that got us through college and that we "sang" during my wedding reception. Love you Fruits!
Feel free to sing along, I know I will :).