Doctors Visits

Yesterday it was time to take Klayton in for his 4 month shots, two months late! It happened that way because we were on the road with meetings when he turned 4 months and my doctor is wonderful, she understands our schedule and doesn't mind working with us.
So, I had been guessing that Klayton would weigh about 16 lbs and I was slightly off, he weighed in at 15 lbs 6 ounces! Which puts him in at the 12 percentile, this might be concerning if it weren't for the fact that he is so active. My doctor said a lot of babies go down in the percentile when they start crawling; but since he's already a mover that is why he is low in the percentile. I just wonder where he will be at in the charts when he does start crawling! He measured in at 26 1/2 inches in length and that measurement puts him at the 50 percentile. She said he looks good and healthy! Yay!
While there I talked to my doctor about Klayton eating cereal. I've now done rice cereal and single grain oatmeal cereal. He doesn't seem to crazy about either even after I have added a little apple juice to it. I was instructed to go ahead and start introducing veggies to see if he would take that and to keep plugging away at it. This morning we decided to introduce peas since he once again didn't want his cereal. Neither Joseph or I like peas and my mom tells me she can still remember the stench of them. Well, apparently we have a one of a kind kid-he loved the peas and willingly opened his mouth for them! What a crazy kid I have!
I also saw the doctor to have what I call, my pregnancy legion removed. While pregnant I had nicked my leg with a razor blade and as a result a bloody looking skin tab grew there. It was disgusting and if I rubbed on it or if it got caught on my skirt hem it would bleed and bleed. My doctor thought it would disappear after I gave birth and much to my dismay it didn't. So, yesterday she removed it, were hoping it doesn't grow back and that the lab results come back fine. She sent it to the lab to make sure its benign-shes positive that it is. Oh the wonderful things that happens to a womans body in pregnancy!

10 on Tuesday

1. Cappuccino, scrap booking, friends and my baby makes for a good day.
2. Just one more follower and I will host my first blog give away. Yay!
3. I am officially training to do a 5k. One of my followers and a friend of mine mentioned the couch to 5k program, and after reading up on it I decided oort was worth the try and sounds like a perfect fit for me.
4. Tomorrow is a day for visits to the doctor. Klayton has shots and I'm getting a pregnancy legion as I call it removed from my leg.
5. Has any one ever done emealz? I'm thinking about doing it, I've only ever heard good things.
6. Here in South Dakota we are going on record as one of the coldest Aprils and I'm thinking seriously, I am so over winter!
7. Yesterday we booked our hotel room for our trip down to Oklahoma for my brothers wedding. Were going to caravan down there with my parents.
8. I'm nursing a cold and have I ever mentioned how I despise colds? Well, if not I'm telling you now, "I despise colds".
9. We had a great Easter, check out my post down below. For Easter dinner we brought out the grill for steaks! I tried montreal steak seasoning by mccormick and I highly recommend it-very flavorful.
10. Well it seems my bed is calling my name. I hope you all had a great Tuesday, I know I did!

Monday Meals and Recipes

I'm linking up with Lyndsie for....


Pizza Noodle Casserole:

Ingredients-
8 oz noodles cooked and drained
1 lb hamburger (i use ground turkey)
1, 15 oz can pizza sauce
4 oz pepperoni
2 c. cheddar cheese
1 c. mozzerella/italian blend/pizza cheese (i use pizza blend)
Optional, green pepper and onions
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Brown ground beef. Mix in pizza sauce, pepperoni, cheddar cheese and optional ingredients! Put cooked and drained noodles in greased baking dish, pour sauce mixture over noodles and top with cheese.
Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted!

I've Been Thinking

Today has been a very special day throughout history, a day we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of MY Savior. As a child it seems to be more about the Easter Egg hunt and what we will find in our Easter Baskets...as we grow older we begin to understand the importance of this day. But, this year the importance and the reality of this day has really touched me in a way that I have never felt before.
I keep imagining God sending His ONLY son, Jesus to die on the cross for MY sins and YOUR sins. Then i think of my ONLY son, Klayton...could I put Klayton on a cross so that others may know Heaven as their home? Would I be willing to sacrifice my son so that someone else may know Christ? Wow! When I think about this I can't truly wrap my head around it all...God sent His Son, Jesus to die on the cross for MY sins so that if I simply acknowledge that I'm a sinner, believe on Jesus as my personal Savior and confess my sins and ask Him to forgive me of my sins I could claim heaven as my home. But Jesus didn't only pay my penalty, He paid yours as well so that you can have the opportunity to call Heaven your home. Imagine the love that Christ has for the sinner to do that for us?
I must admit, I serve a living God that hears me when I talk to Him, who talks to me, who loves me and carries me through my struggles and joys. I praise the Lord for sending His son to die on the cross for my sins and I praise Him for saving me and by faith not of works, I can claim Heaven as my home someday. Is Heaven your home? If not, I pray that you will decide to make it your home today-we do not know what tomorrow holds.

The first step to salvation is to realize that we are all sinners:
Romans 3:10 (KJV)
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:23 (KJV)
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Next, you must know that because of sin there must be a price paid:
Romans 6:23 (KJV)
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This price can be paid by you with an eternity in Hell, or you can accept the price that Jesus paid for your sin:
Romans 5:8 (KJV)
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

To accept Jesus’ payment for your sin simply call on His name and ask Him to forgive your sins and save you:
Romans 10:9-13 (KJV)
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [11] For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. [12] For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. [13] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

If you are ready to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, take time right now to pray, confessing your sin and asking Him to save you.

When you accept Jesus, He is faithful to do what He said He would - He forgives you and saves you. This an eternal life that cannot be lost:
1 John 5:13 (KJV)
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Easter Memories

My handsome boy and his first Easter basket that Great Grandpa and Grandma Collins gave him!

He was really enthralled with the basket...

My boys in their Easter best!

I love this boy!

Our Easter Family Picture!

Let's Do It

So, my good friend Jessica and I are in serious contemplation of doing a 5 or 10k run, its in June. Over the course of the week I have been thinking of challenging myself to a run, while in college I did the Tulsa Run which was a 15k! Pretty impressive for me, I finished it in an hour and 56 minutes-up until 4 months before the race I was not a runner and in all honesty the day the race was complete I was no longer a runner once again! Anyway, I am NOT happy with my weight and was thinking if I really challenged myself to a race it would also force me all the way around to be better. *I hope* Last night I mentioned it to Jessica and she found a race and if all works out we are going to do it together. Her husband is getting ready to deploy to Iraq for a year and there might be a conflict on her end for the race...if that happens, which I hope not, I then must ask myself the question, "will I do it alone?" I think I can and I think I will!

1/2 A Year Old

Klayton you are 6 months old!


You:
*Wear size 2 diapers
*Wear 3-6 month clothing, sometimes 6-9 month, 3 month and you actually fit into a pair of 0-3 month pants the other day!
*On occasion you are starting to reach out when you want to be held!
*With help you can sit up and then you hold yourself up just fine!
*We have introduced single grain oatmeal and rice. You don’t seem crazy about the rice cereal and you take the oatmeal cereal just fine as long as it has a teeny bit of applesauce in it!
*You say hi or hey….
*Your 2 bottom teeth have poked through, just waiting for them to finish popping completely through.
*You love bath time and have discovered the art of splashing!
*You hate tummy time and will roll from tummy to back just to avoid it!
*You love your bouncy seat.
*You love to touch things and feel the different textures!
*Toys, you have discovered that they are fun to play with!



This Month:
*You attended Aunt Kayla's wedding, April 16th!
*You no longer sleep in the same room as mommy and daddy. The only reason you have done it for this long was because of our travels.
*You had your first friend over to play!



(This month I am posting a shortened version of my letter to Klayton, I am writing him a private letter as well. )

Dear Klayton,
6 months? It doesn’t seem possible and I know in 6 more months I will be once again saying that!
Everyday, I am overwhelmed with the realization that you are mine…my baby that God has lent to me! Does this feeling ever go away or do I just get used to it? Because I don’t know if I could ever get used to it and I don’t know if I really want to be used to it because I enjoy these moments.
I miss those days where you were light as a feather in your carseat and I could fit you into your monkey pajamas; but at the same I am loving these days where I can watch the new discoveries you make and the days where I can watch you grow and begin to form your ever changing personality.
God is so good!
Love You,
Mama

What I'm Loving Wednesday-Around the House

Today I'm once again linking up with Jamie for what I'm Loving Wednesday!


We have had a little extra money this month and have done some decorating or changes around our townhouse with that money! So, I'm absolutely loving it and wanted to share! Some of the decorations, specifically for Klayton's room are all in thanks of my wonderful Grandpa and Grandma Collins!

I'm Loving this new bedding set and wall art!

We purchased the comforter, decorative pillows, shams, sheets and even valances as a set from, of all places-Sam's Club! We got a great deal on it! It is also so soft, each night we go to bed saying, "Ahh..."! The wall art we picked up at Gordmans and I love it because it goes great with our set-I just hope it doesn't fall on us while we are sleeping! lol!

I'm loving that Kohl's had their picture frames on sale for 50% off last week and we were able to get some photos framed that have been sitting around for ages...like the picture of my husband kissing my belly while pregnant! We also got a little stand to prop our mirror on, you know make it look more expensive than the $5 I paid for it!

I'm loving this new wall art for our living room! From the beginning Joseph and I have always used the phrase always and forever and it has continued to stick as we have added a baby to our lives! So, I really love the word FOREVER!

I'm loving this fire pot that Joseph bought me as part of an early Mother's Day present! You just had fire gel, its called something like that and light the gel and it burns and crackles like a fireplace. It has wonderful ambiance and radiates heat! Whats great is that the flames don't smoke and so there is no fumes or smoke discoloring the walls and you can use it inside or outside!

I'm loving this little hat/coat rack for Klayton's room! That little Michigan cap is still too big for his head and I can't wait for the day it fits him and I have a feeling that I will be taking a ton of pictures of him in it with his daddy!

I'm loving the sport shelf and toy chest...all in thanks of my grandparents! And believe me there are already some toys filling that toy chest!

I'm loving this football lamp, again courtesy of my grandparents! Now if I could just find the perfect place for it...I was really hoping it would have fit on top of the shelf; but it doesn't.

I'm loving taking showers with this duck that quacks! lol! Actually, I'm loving it because its the perfect size for Klayton to take a bath in and have room to splash and play! He loves bathtime with that duck!

And, as always I'm loving my boys!


P.S. I am only watermarking pictures with people in it!

10 on Tuesday...

1. Congrats to my sister and her new husband! They were married this past Saturday. This is me and my sis...

2. My grandparents were here for the wedding and gave Klayton his first Easter basket!

3. A favorite photo of mine from Saturday.

4. I had a great time staying up on Friday night chatting with my future sister in law.
5. My brother gets married in 25 days which means I really need to get cracking at their wedding music.
6. I'm sure by now you have noticed that the above pictures are watermarked. While it may be annoying, I have decided to start doing it for a little more security. So, yep if you steal a picture from my blog it will be watermarked. I'm still playing around with it, but for now I hope this will work!
7. I really hope these April showers bring May flowers and warmth, sunlight...
8. We had started to introduce Klayton to cereal and by day 5 he was refusing to open his mouth. So, we put the cereal on hold and I will be trying again on Thursday...maybe he will open his mouth for me this time!
9. I like doing 10 on Tuesday for the purpose of random thoughts; but it doesn't work so well for me when I am having a difficult time coming up with random thoughts!
10. While it may be cold still and I am not to crazy about that; I am enjoying the fact that it gives me the excuse to treat myself to a white chocolate caramel cappuccino and white chocolate kit kat bars! lol!

Mondays Meals, Quick Potato Soup

Yes, its April and we should be getting out of the soup season, however were not out of soup season in South Dakota! I think soup is a perfect meal for cold days and this one is pretty quick! So, as I link up with Lyndsie once again.....

Ingredients:
3 c. milk
2 small cans condensed cream of potato soup
2 c. frozen southern style hashed browns
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
chopped ham

Directions:
-Mix milk and soup in large sauce pan.
-Stir in remaining ingredients, bring to a boil.
-Stir occasionally, reduce heat to med-low.
-Simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

**Sometimes if I have extra potatoes, I will replace the hash browns with 4 baked potatoes. If I do this, I bake the potatoes at 375 for 45 minutes. When done baking, let the potatoes cool and then dice! If I do this the stove top time is also reduced!

10 on tuesday

1. Todays agenda: clean bathroom, clean bedroom, practice piano and make brownies! I'm really looking forward to the brownies!
2. I'm making brownies for the ladies dinner at church tonight! I'll be leaving my boys on the homefront!
3. Joseph is such a good daddy! I think its kinda cute when he tries to "match" Klayton!
4. It's supposed to be 70 today, I really want the beautiful weather to stick around; but I've heard snow is in the forecast for Friday...seriously, that doesn't seem right or even fair.
5. I'm asking this question everywhere, so here I go again! If you have kids how did you introduce food to your baby? Please feel free to share in my comments!
6. There is a lot of things I should be doing right now; bit I'd much rather be here posting as my baby snuggles next to me! God has been so good to me!
7. I just need 4 more followers and then it will be time for my first blog giveaway!
8. Have I ever shared with you my great dislike for washing dishes? I would Mich rather clean a bathroom than wash dishes. Imagine my current despair as my dishwasher broke and I'm still waiting for my landlord to call us back with a solution to fixing it! I don't know how much longer I can suffer..lol!
9. Tomorrow were taking Klayton to get his pictures done! I'm so excited! What's great is the session will only cost $10 and we leave with the pictures!
10. Hope this finds everyone enjoying their Tuesday!

A Monday One of Many Busy Days

I have been keeping very busy lately. It seems that we are always on the go or that there is always something to do at home. I think things will continue to remain busy as this Saturday my sister will be getting married.
I have also decided that subconsciously I must want to be "chunky" or else I would be totally and completely motivated to be dieting and losing tons of weight. I really am frustrated with myself. I had lost a bunch of weight about a month and a half ago and put some of it back on when I stopped nursing my son. I told Joseph that for the next two weeks I need to at least do sit ups before bed each night. And, if I don't get control of my weight now its going to be worse after baby number 2-no, I am not pregnant and if I am I don't even realize it yet! Does anyone have any tips to share of small changes that I could make and hopefully stay committed to?
This past weekend we started Klayton on cereal! I was going to wait until his 6 month birthday; but since my parents were here I thought it would be a special milestone to share with them! I knew my mom, especially would be thrilled! We are starting him with rice cereal and I am choosing not to introduce any other baby foods until he gets the concept down. He is beginning to understand that he needs to at least open his mouth for the spoon; but once the spoon enters his mouth he doesn't really know quite what to do yet! So, we will continue to work on this daily. He goes for his 6 month check up at the end of the month, so I am hoping to seek a little more guidance from my doctor about it!
Speaking of Klayton, he is doing SO great in his crib! Since we travel so much he is not used to being in his own crib and we have had some trying nights with that. But, now he goes down just fine with no fussing at all! Last night he woke up around 4:30 and I immediately got a bottle ready to go for him; but he apparently he just wanted to play and boy did he play! He played until 5:20 and made his way all over his crib as he kicked, talked and laughed! I just sat on the futon and listened to him until he wore himself out and went back to sleep. Every day I continued to be amazed at the gift he is to us and as I watch the new discoveries he makes! God has been SO good to me!

Monday Meals and Recipes

I am once again linking up with Lyndsie ...I love to cook, get new recipes and share cooking tips!

This recipe that I am sharing today is my main dish that I serve every year on Christmas day! Sooo, yummy!

Apple and Onion Chicken

Ingredients:
3 medium sliced apples
1 tbs butter
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tbs thyme
2 large thinly sliced onions
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. seasoned bread crumbs
2 tbs apple juice

Directions:
In large skillet pan sauté apples and onions in butter, transfer to greased baking pan. Top with seared chicken, sprinkle salt and pepper. Combine cheese, bread crumbs and thyme; sprinkle over chicken. Drizzle with apple juice. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes at 350.

10 on tuesday

**so I just realized blogger never published this post on Tuesday so frustrating.
1. Last week we went to Johnny Carinos for Sunday lunch...it was delicious as always. We thought the service was great; but apparently they disagreed so they gave us our whole meal, drinks included for free! So awesome and a wonderful blessing!
2. Yesterday Klayton rolled from his belly to back twice! We were so happy and to show him we cheered which he didn't like-he immediately started crying. Maybe he's just humble?
3. I am so excited, I've been gaining some new followers and I'm thinking once I hit 30 followers that I will do a give away. Fun times!
4. I went to dinner with my good friend Jessica last night and had a great time catching up with her. I am so thankful for the friends God has given me.
5. I could really be succeeding at my diet if there was no such thing as cherry coke or pop in general. Pop is more of a weakness to me than I realized.
6. Today was a big day for Klayton, he rode in his stroller without the carseat! He loved it! We also let him sit in the shopping cart at Target, he did good; but we decided he's not quite ready to be sitting in the big boy seat of shopping carts!
7. Currently, I should be boxing up all my maternity clothes; but I'm not!
8. Friday my mom will get to see Klayton for the first time since January and I think she's excited! I wonder what she will think of my baby getting so big?
9. Random thought; but I could spend a lot of time in Walgreens just wondering around.

Cracker Chicken for 2

I am once again linking up with Lyndsie for Monday Meals...


Cracker Chicken

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts
8 oz sour cream
2 small cans cream of chicken soup
Sleeve of ritz crackers crushed
4 tbs melted butter

Directions:
Boil chicken until done
Once chicken is cooled, pull apart/shred into chunks
In small baking dish combine sour cream and cream of chicken (i think i use an 8x8, I'm never sure of the proper sizing!)
Mix in pieces of shredded chicken

For topping, stir in ritz crackers with melted butter and pour over chicken

Bake for 20 minutes at 375.

All Things Random

Sometimes I feel like I'm doing really good and posting a lot through out the week, then I realize its been a week since I posted. To say the least I have been busy...
Last week through today has been spent doing a ton of cleaning. It feels good to get things done; but I know there is still more to do...I think there will always be more to do. Do you have any time saving cleaning tips, feel free to share them in my comments! I am always in need of genius tips!
On Friday, we had some friends over-it was so fun! Their little boy, Chase is just 7 weeks younger than Klayton and we just know that they are going to be buds as they get older! We laid the boys next to each other and they held hands, stared at each other and yes, Klayton even hit Chase! Klayton also showed his jealous side, I was holding Chase and Klayton would not stop fussing until I put Chase down, it was so funny! At the same time, it was a reminder of how characteristics of jealousy don't need to be taught.


Klayton has been working on some teeth for a couple of months and this weekend they have finally started to push through! Hopefully, they will pop all the way through soon; but at least it seems the end is in sight! Yay!
We broke down and decided to get my wedding rings sized, I haven't worn them since the beginning of my pregnancy and was really hoping they would fit soon after I gave birth; but it is now April and they are still to small. Sad. So, I got the rings back this weekend, I just love my wedding set....

Things I'm looking forward to this week...dinner with my friend Jessica, my parents coming up this weekend, my sisters bridal shower, which I'm giving a devotion for and maybe some jewelry making or scrapbooking! This post has been completely random and I would like to promise that I will be better; but I better not! ha!