Roller Coaster

This past weekend and week have been a bit of a roller coaster around here. Thursday night, Taylor woke up with a really bad cough. I didn't like the sound of her breathing, so I turned my bathroom shower on to the hottest temperature and we sat for about 20 minutes. This certainly helped, but I still didn't want her sleeping in her room that night. I decided to set the pack n' play up on my side of the closet, so I could keep a closer watch on her. (Don't worry, our closet it plenty big)

Shortly after we both drifted off to sleep, I heard Mason calling my name. I then realized it was only 1:30am in the morning. I went in his room to check on him and ended up falling asleep in his bed. The boy is a great sleeper, but I really think he is going thru a spell where he is having bad dreams and wakes up very upset. It is so hard to get him back to sleep after one of these dreams. Hopefully, it is only a phase.

Friday morning came all too soon, but I was eager for the day. Adam had been telling me that he had a surprise planned for me and I would learn what it was that day. I love surprises and it is very hard to surprise me. As I made breakfast that morning, I got a call from Adam letting me know that my surprise wasn't going to happen that weekend and that everyone involved agreed it was best to let me know what it was.

My parents and Adam had been talking for a long time and planned on surprising me with a visit from them that weekend. It would be the first time I would get to meet Kris. However, Kris woke up with a really high temperature that morning and complaining he wasn't feeling too well. After a quick doctor's visit that morning, they discovered he had Strep Throat. The trip was off.

I completely understood that it was no one's fault and felt bad for Kris. I knew he would be very disappointed, as was I. I honestly felt like knowing the plans made it worse for me, at least at that moment.

I could barely talk on the phone to either Adam or my mom, I was that upset. The gesture was so sweet and exactly what I needed. Not being with our family for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year was extremely hard for me and I never want to do that again. So needless to say, Friday was a rough day for me. I took out all of my frustration by cleaning and reorganizing our entire house.

After waking up Saturday morning, I tried my very best not to dwell on the disappointment and wanted to make the best of the rest of the weekend. We spent the day relaxing and hanging out at the house. Taylor still didn't feel that great, and I didn't feel comfortable taking her out.

We stayed home from church on Sunday. I didn't want to take Taylor to the nursery with a cold, so Adam stayed home with the kids, while I did the grocery shopping. I was able to go to 4 stores in an hour and a half. It's amazing what you can do when you don't have any kids with you. I had to get my run in, because it was supposed to rain that afternoon.

Can I just say that it hardly ever rains in Bakersfield. This week we have had a 100 percent chance of rain every day, along with 30-40 mph winds. However, rain here is nothing like it is down in Texas. In the past two years that we have lived here, not once have I seen lightening or heard thunder. The month of January is always gloomy here. Fog, occasional rain, and more fog describe this month perfectly. The rest of the year, sunny without a cloud in the sky.

This week, I designated to start potty training Mason. He has shown signs that he is ready and I thought I would give it a go. He only had four accidents and actually went pee in the potty. I was so proud of him and impressed that it wasn't worse, since he was constantly drinking something all day. I took pictures, but I don't think Mason would appreciate me posting them.

When I woke up yesterday, I could barely move. My head was pounding and I was very dizzy. I went in Mason's room and thought I was going to be sick. Great timing. There was no way I was going to attempt the second day of potty training feeling like this. Too bad mom's don't get sick leave.

Adam is working on a new project, which allows him to be in Bakersfield all week. The down side is he leaves for work at 6am and doesn't get home until 8:30pm. By the time he walks in the door, I'm tucking Mason into bed and he gets to say goodnight to him before he drifts off to sleep. I woke up this morning feeling a little better, and hopefully by tomorrow I will be a 100 percent again.

Taylor's eating habits

Taylor, also known as Miss Independent, has decided she will no longer take any form of baby food. All the frozen cubes in my freezer will be cooked into a meal sometime, because the days of me spoon feeding her are over.

Mason was so different at this age. He would eat whatever you gave him, whether you spoon fed him or he did it himself. I guess I thought Taylor would be the same way. She isn't necessarily picky, which is a blessing, but neither was Mason at this age. At a year and a half, I noticed how picky Mason had become regarding what foods he wanted to eat or didn't want to eat. I hope Taylor doesn't follow in those footsteps.

I haven't been feeling well lately, and last night I opted for the classic Spaghetti O's for dinner. Not my favorite, but at least it has a full serving of vegetables in each can. I was super proud that Mason didn't make a mess at all. He has really gotten the spoon to mouth technique down and I only had to wipe his face. Taylor was a whole other story.

I thought I could begin spoon feeding her. Big mistake! She will keep her lips so tight and push your hand away over and over again, to the point that the food goes flying off the spoon. Finally, I got tired of trying, so I just dumped the bowl on her high chair and let her go to town. She was the happiest little girl. See for yourself.

It took me 30 minutes to bathe her and clean her up. Thankfully, I have a rather large double sink in my kitchen with a deep basin on one side. Most of her baths are immediately after dinner and in the kitchen. I will miss the days when she is too big for bath's in the kitchen sink.

Flashback Fridays

This weeks picture is from my First Grade teacher's wedding. Mrs. Stebbins was my favorite teacher and I actually still keep in touch with her and she is a good family friend. She invited all of our First Grade class to her wedding and some of us were even in it. Sorry for the poor quality.

10 months

Monday, I took Taylor to her 9 month well checkup visit. Only a few days shy from being 10 months old, and I'm already planning her first birthday. Have I mentioned how crazy the next two months will be for our family? If not, let me give you a little run down...three birthdays and an anniversary in February, and five birthdays in March not including two of our friends. So if anything, I'm already a bit behind on the planning.

Taylor has changed so much in the past month alone. First of all, she loves food. This isn't really anything new, but she now prefers table food over baby food. I still have a couple bags of frozen baby food and anytime I try to spoon feed her, she gets fussy. The girl is very independent.

Don't worry, she didn't eat the entire biscuit. Before I even had a chance to tear it into bits, she grabbed it out of my hands. Most of that biscuit ended up in her chair.

As of two weeks ago, Taylor is officially weaned from nursing. I knew the day was coming, but I don't think I was emotionally prepared for it. For awhile now, she had been only nursing for about 3 minutes on each side, except in the mornings and evenings. She was more concerned with what was going on around her, to eat.

Before I began training for the marathon, I decided I would wean her to formula. She took to the bottle right away and never looked back. She now takes a bottle at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Given her latest stats at the doctor, I now know I did the best thing. Turns out, my milk had dried out on one side awhile back and I didn't realize it. She has always been a happy baby, so she never complained.

Christmas morning, she started crawling for the first time. Talk about a great Christmas gift. Most parents would be stressed at this point, especially having two little ones running around. If anything, I love it. She is very independent and loves playing with her brother. I don't worry about having to constantly entertain her, if anything, she is the entertainment.

She plays nicely with Mason and even though she has plenty of toys of her own, she prefers to grab her brother's hot wheels. Wherever Mason is, Taylor isn't far behind.

Verbally, she can say, "Mama and Dada" and she can say "hi." She is most animated and vocal during meal time, which happens to be like me as a child. I look forward to the day, when we sit down to eat dinner, and both Mason and Taylor share about their days.

Everything went well at her checkup. She weighs 19lbs, 11oz. (25th%) and is 27.5 inches long (50th%). I was a bit concerned that she went from being in the 75th percentile 3 months ago, to the 25th percentile. I asked Dr. Shah if I should be concerned, and he assured me that she perfectly healthy and just losing the baby fat and lengthening out. Her next checkup will be her one year.

This past year has been a whirlwind. I don't remember it going by as fast with Mason. Maybe it's because I have two little ones, so I seldom have any down time. I wouldn't change it for the world. Taylor is the sweetest, little cuddle bug, a mom could ask for.

Two and a half

Two and a half years ago, my world was turned upside down by this adorable face.

It was love at first sight! He won me over with those pouty lips. I can picture that day in my head so clearly, that it doesn't seem so long ago, that I was holding my baby for the very first time.

I still hold my baby, only he is now my "big baby" and doesn't fit in my arms quiet the same. Before, I used to cuddle and hold him so tight and hope that he felt the love. Now, he runs up to me and wraps his arms around my neck and squeezes so that I can feel the love. Funny how things change so quickly.

Mason has always been a big boy. He weighed 20lbs by 5 months and started wearing size 2T clothes by 10 months old. Even now at 32lbs, he towers over his friends and gets mistaken for a three year old quite often.

My favorite thing about this stage, is being able to see Mason communicate so much more verbally. He has always been vocal, only now I can understand what he is saying...well, most of the time. He will repeat almost anything you say, as long as he is in the mood. Did I mention that he is stubborn?

However, there are moments that make my heart leap out of my chest. Every night, before I put the kids to bed, I sing to them. As I was rocking Taylor and singing to her tonight, Mason stopped me. He then proceeded to sing "You are my Sunshine" to Taylor. At that very moment, tears filled my eyes and I was the proudest mom.

Mason has such a big heart and adores his friends and family. The boy loves to snuggle, laugh, run play and if any of his friends or family are involved in that, it is even better. I prayed that he would be compassionate and if he is starting this young, I can't wait to see what else is in store for his future.

Mason let Taylor get on one of his quads & was trying to show her what to do. She was thrilled!

Mason with his best buddy, Luke.

Mason wouldn't get on his quads for the longest time until he had a helmet. I guess his Granddad taught him well.

Ten on Tuesday

Today's Ten on Tuesday is brought to you by the lovely Chelsea. I have come to look forward to this post each week. Feel free to join along.

1. Are you usually late, early, or right on time?
Always early! I like to get where I'm going with plenty of time to spare, usually 10 or 15 minutes. I don't like being late and that prevents it from happening. I used to have really bad anxiety if I even thought I was running late to class when I was in school. My husband teases me about this, but you seldom ever hear anyone complain about someone being early, it's usually when people are late.

2. What is your middle name?
Rae, but once I got married, I legally changed it to my maiden name, Coverston.

3. What are the last four digits of your cell phone number?
3964

4. How big is your bed?
Queen. It's super comfy, but I would love a California King. That will be awhile, since I want to wait to purchase it until we have a new bedroom set.

5. What are you allergic to?
I have the typical outdoor allergens, so Zyrtec has become a good friend of mine. I'm also allergic to Penicillin and gold. If I wear any type of gold, I break out in rash.

6. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Lay in bed and say a prayer for the day and then get the kids up and breakfast made for everyone.

7. What was your favorite TV show growing up?
Saved by the Bell and Full House. I had a huge crush on Zack Morris and DJ Tanner was my fav on Full House.

8. Will you, or did you, go to your 10 year high school reunion?
Unfortunately, I didn't make it. I had every intention to go, but I was about 12 weeks into my pregnancy with Taylor and Adam had to go out of town on business. I vow to be at the next one.

9. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it still make a sound?
Yes

10. What in your opinion, is the greatest invention? (You know, since sliced bread)
I would have to say computers. Isn't it crazy how much you depend on your computer? The vain side of me would say my Chi. I love my hair straightener. I have pretty straight hair already, but I have a lot of it and the Chi is the perfect finishing touch to getting ready.

BBQ Jalapeno Poppers

Just the name of this appetizer makes my mouth water. I love spicy food, add cheese and bacon and I'm in heaven. I was most excited about this appetizer above all others. When I told Adam I wasn't going to make it this past weekend, he was so disappointed. I reassured him that I would make it today and I would set aside a plate just for him.

I usually set aside Monday's for cleaning the house and doing laundry. So on top of that, I also needed to find time to run, take a shower, take Taylor to her doctor's appointment, prepare the dish, and spend time with my family, before leaving for bible study this evening.

Realizing the craziness of the day, I decided to prepare the BBQ Jalapeno Poppers in advance, so that I could just pop them in the oven an hour before I needed to leave. Great idea, right? Well it is, if you don't have a baby girl who is fighting her afternoon nap and a little boy has only taken one afternoon nap in the past two months. Mason is great at entertaining himself and I have the luxury of being able to look out into my living room from my kitchen. But when you are trying to seed jalapenos, it can make it a little difficult.

I definitely recommend preparing these in advance, because it does make it easier. However, next time I will do it when my husband is home, so that I can focus on the task at hand.

The recipe calls for chives and I bought chives, only to realize that I must have left them in my shopping cart or accidentally thrown them away. After beating myself up over it, I decided it would be okay if I varied just a bit. Besides, not everyone likes green onions, right?

I have never seeded jalapenos before. The Pioneer Woman recommends wearing plastic gloves or using a sandwich bag over your hands before touching them. I didn't want to wake up tonight with my hands burning, so I used the sandwich bag. Adam had the gloves in his truck, so I had to improvise.

I personally think the spicier, the better. I wasn't always this way. It wasn't until college, that my love affair with spicy food began. Now, I can't get enough of it. Even when I was pregnant with Mason & Taylor, I still ate spicy food. Sure I had heartburn, but water gave it to me and if I was going to suffer thru it, I was at least going to enjoy the foods I loved. However, not everyone loves spicy food as much as I do, so I didn't leave that many seeds in the jalapenos.

After I put them in the oven, I realized I forgot to snap a picture. Sure you would have survived not knowing how they look before going in the oven, but it would have driven me crazy. Yes, I realize I have issues.

Don't they look fabulous? Do you notice the platter? It was a wedding present and it has jalapenos painted all over it. I thought it was fitting and took this mighty taste appetizer with me to bible study tonight. I loved that when I walked in, the first thing my friend Jamie asked was if this was a Pioneer Woman recipe. I had a small handful leftover and let me tell you, they taste good reheated. They are so good, I just might have to make them every weekend.

Challenge: Cooking my way thru "The Pioneer Woman Cooks"

Recipes completed: 2

Recipes left: 61