All Things Kaki

Here I Am Loving Mousse

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

I was reading through some blogs that I follow the other day, and when I read

The Best Chocolate Mousse of Your Life Under 5 Minutes

via

the words chocolate, mousse, 5 minutes... I was sold!

Don't miss the article it came from as it has great ideas for this recipe as well as the history of it,

but skipping to the punch line, here's the recipe :)

INSTANT CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (CHOCOLATE CHANTILLY)
Recipe by Herve This & Heston Blumenthal

Ingredients

4 servings

9.35 ounces (265 grams) bittersweet (%70 cocoa solids) chocolate, chopped (preferably Valrhona Guanaja)
1 cup (240 ml) water
4 tbsp sugar, optional

Method

Place a large mixing bowl on top of another slightly smaller one, filled with ice and cold water (the bottom of the large bowl should touch the ice). Set aside.
Put chocolate and water (also sugar and/or liquor if you’re using) in a medium-sized pan and melt the chocolate over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Pour the melted chocolate into the mixing bowl sitting on top of ice and water, and start whisking with a wire whisk (or an electrical hand-held mixer) until thick. Watch the texture as you whip and make sure not to over-whip as it will make the mousse grainy. If the mousse becomes grainy (which is possible at your first try), transfer it back into the pan, reheat until half of it is melted, pour it back to the mixing bowl and whisk again briefly.
Divide into four serving cups and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Here I Am With Snippets

2012-01-26T06:00:00.002-06:00

Here's are a few little snippets of the last few days...

such a little busy bee

{or as Claire says,"bishibee"}

Emma likes Claire's chair too :)

too cool for school

she is definitely her mother's daughter with how much she loves chicken fried rice!

Here I Am With Fabrics

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

Looking for unusual fabrics or have one in mind that you just can't find,

well check out Spoonflower.com!

There you can DeSigN your own fabric

browse though fabrics that others have created...

and there are some great ones there!

and a few odd ones...

but they're definitely creative!

{cause everything is better with bacon, right?}

So, needless to say, they have a fabric for every project!

Here I Am With A Spin Off

2012-01-24T06:00:00.001-06:00

Yesterday's post was pretty serious, so this is on a little bit of a lighter note, haha!

So, most know about Etsy.com

{if you don't, click on the link, and be prepared to be overwhelmed with online shops galore of handmade and vintage items!}

But what you may not be familiar with is the spin off, regretsy.com.

Absolutely hilarious and posts the random, humorous items that can be found on etsy.

or as they say on the FAQ page

regretsy is where DIY meets WTF, haha!

Be warned that some of it can be pretty racy,

but there are some funny things on there.

Such as doesn't everyone need a crocodile necklace...

no? well then how about a Bambi headpiece?

or sure a stick...

and this is quite a fancy cake...

or here is some more fancy jewelry...

The Twilight merchandise knows no end...

Or fuzzy gloves to keep you extra warm... er something

I mean seriously?!

I know art means different things to different people but this is just crazy!

go on over to regretsy.com for more laughs if you dare!

Here I Am With Bullet Points

2012-01-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

*Well, grab a cup of coffee or something to drink and please join me as I follow up on that snowy day in November... just to check in my quite times aren't quite daily, but I'm a work in progress. I've been reading Choosing Gratitude and wanted to share a few things I've learned so far...

"An important key to not becoming overwhelmed by what is going on around us is looking for evidences of God's hand at work in the midst of the turmoil and being simply overwhelmed with thankfulness to Him."

There are two responses to everything in life:

I can whine or I can worship.

"Gratitude is a lifestyle.

A hard fought,

grace-infused,

biblical lifestyle."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God."- Our logical reaction to that kind of rescue should be that of thanksgiving.

There is gratitude within our society {Hallmark cards, anyone?} but our gratitude is not in a vacuum, Christian gratitude has a subject. It involves recognizing the many benefits we've received from God and others {even when they're disguised as problems}, acknowledging God as the ultimate giver of every good gift, and expressing appreciation to Him {and others} for those gifts.

To be grateful is to be aware.

But in being aware you have to loose the "supposed to". Forget what others are "supposed to do" and just thank them for what they have done.

"When we choose the pathway of worship and giving thanks, especially in the midst of difficult circumstances, there is a fragrance, a radiance, that issues forth out of our lives to bless the Lord and others."

"A person whose gratitude is a by product of a response to the redeeming grace of God will showcase the heart of the gospel in a way that is winsome and compelling."

"When we give out of gratitude to God, we cause gratitude to well up in other peoples' hearts."

See? check out the little diagram I made depicting this...

Ingratitude is at the top root out of which grows a host of sins.

Needing God but not always wanting God we expect others {and or things} to take the place of God in our lives. We end up depending on them to guide or decisions, to love us continuously and unconditionally, to provide for us emotionally, physically, socially, totally.

Humans are flawed and they disappoint us and our unfulfilled expectations and so we turn resentful.

Wow, that speaks to my heart. Its exactly what I've done and continue to do. So what I need to do is to choose gratitude and view anything and everything through the eyes of thankfulness and it deepens our relationship with God.

I've even learned that if you can't be thankful for what you have received,

at least be thankful for what you escape.

So, that's just a little hodge-podge of what I've learned or found valuable in this study so far. It's been put on hold for a bit {due to the next bullet point} but I'm grateful for its perspective and the ideas I've learned, the "ah ha" moments that spark in my mind, and while I may not always react in thanksgiving {Canyon can attest to this}, this study has challenged me to do so more frequently, to be aware of or at least reflect upon my actions/reactions, and pray that they be that of thankfulness so that others may see God though me.

* Recently I joined a Tuesday morning bible study through the Women's ministry at my church. I love how there are mixed ages {including my aunt, hi Janie, and even my next door neighbor!} and we have big group time to watch the videos as well as small group time where we're able to get to know some of the women in there. We are doing Beth Moore's study on James called Mercy Triumphs. I'm really enjoying it and kicking myself for not attending more while I lived in Houston and could see her speak in person, weekly!! But I was at a different place in my life then than I am now, and I really enjoy the fellowship of the other women and some of my dear friends, as well as the opportunity for Claire to play with the other children in the nursery.

* I feel like while they're certainly different, they overlap in many ways in my life, and maybe its just the things I've been struggling with internally that they address but I believe for once I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be in my walk.

* On a whole other note {which is why I love these bullet points post so I can jump around to all different topics without having to think of a way to join to tie them together} I love watching Claire sleep on the video monitor. She wakes anytime I even walk down the hallway near her room {and that's with a noise maker fan on and everything!} But with the video monitor I can check on her and love to see her sleeping so peacefully. Like today, she's napping with her little arm wrapped around the bumper of her crib as if it were a stuffed animal.

Perhaps its time to find a special lovey she can sleep with. In the past anytime there is anything in there she spends the whole nap time contently playing with that item, so we'll see.

*Claire has been sick as of late so we had the fun of a trip to the doctor. Thankfully, the congestion isn't in her ears or chest, just green goo running out of her nose {too much?} well it is what it is and I'm just thankful her fever is down and she's on the mend so we can get out of the house soon! I've got a little case of cabin fever going!

*Laundry, putting the house back together after the weekend, and some painting are calling my name so gotta run, but let's chat again soon, eh!?

Here I Am Saying Ahh

2012-01-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

Ever heard of a Parrotlet?

via

me either, but he's adorable!!

Here I Am With Claire's Art

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

Claire has been in on the painting action too!

Sounds like it might be messy with a 13 month old, but thanks to this

its easy!

I put her in her high chair with a full bib on and the paper taped down to her tray

{she likes to pull up the paper for some reason}

And she went to work

See the "paint" is actually clear gel

that changes color when it touches the special paper

While she was mostly happy to just play with the hand

She did create some great works of art!

All in all, it was a fun activity that we'll definitely be repeating soon!

{Also, Happy Birthday Funcle Eddie!}

Here I Am Back to Painting

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

Two of these black frames

the most amazing paint I've ever used

{its kinda pricey, but you don't have to prime or even sand{!!!} and it creates amazing texture
+
the wax gives it just the right about of shine and depth!
{I used the clear wax on this project}

=
new frames for the playroom!

The room is coming together slowly but surely...
I can't wait to reveal the next project but I may just wait until its complete
for the whole room to be revealed... we'll see! :)

Here I Am With the Same Outfit

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

Same outfit...

just 28 years apart!

{another one I meant to post earlier, just didn't get done til now!}

Here I Am With My Girl

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-06:00

looking too too cute

in her tutu skirt and Toms!

when she's walking too!

...and even when sitting in the fridge, ha!

Here I Am With Claire's Little Coup

2012-01-17T06:00:00.002-06:00

We have one happy girl on our hands!

Last night she got her first set of wheels!
{well actually she got it for Christmas, we finally got it together for her to play with tonight!}

Here is a little video of the first time we showed it to her!

She was thrilled and spent the rest of the evening inspecting it!

See!

We had a blast watching her figure it out...
*she can't quite honk the horn but loves when we do it for her
*she can turn the key
*roll backwards in it
*she had to figure out {the hard way} to get out on the door side
*and learn how not to fall in the hole where her feet go!

It was hilarious and we look forward to lots more fun with her little Coup car!

Here I Am With Bits and Pieces

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hanging out ready to run some errands

playing with new toys

and my little sous chef all set to help in her own apron

one of the few pictures I have of her sleeping as she inherited my trait as a light sleeper

all set to go in her "glow worm" blanket in her stroller

and look who is stylin' in her Babiators!

can't get enough of this sweet girl!

Here I Am With Inspired DIY Play Kitchens!

2012-01-13T06:00:00.001-06:00

I love when people take pieces of furniture like this

and turn it into fun things like this!

Young House Love recently converted this cabinet

into this precious kitchen for their little girl!

I love this idea and can't wait until Claire is old enough to have a play kitchen of her own!

But until then, check out just how creative people are!

Another...

and...

This one is made from a corner desk!

too cute!

a little bright for my taste, but love the window idea

I mean seriously... from a chair!?

After... freaking adorable!

And I think this might be my favorite

{if you follow me on Pinterest you've probably already seen it :)}

Well, are you inspired now?

cause I am!!

Here I Am With Claire's Playroom

2012-01-12T06:00:00.001-06:00

What once was this

is now this!

It still has a way to go but we are loving having a place for her toys

{instead of storing them in our living room!}

I even turned the closet into a little reading nook

Keep you posted on how it all the rest comes together :)

Here I Am Pulling

2012-01-11T21:40:00.000-06:00

Who doesn't love a wagon ride on a sunny day?!

{and notice we hadn't even taken the bow off of it yet!}

Here I Am With Retronaut

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

Want to know one of the coolest websites I recently stumbled across?

It has an amazing collection of pictures and movies organized by decade from the 1800s to current time with special sections on WWI and WWII

everything such as...

Color photographs of Antarctica in 1915

a video of a switchback {small roller coaster} form 1898!

Pictures of the construction of the US Capitol

The hilarious Rules for Single Women in 1938

Interior pictures of the Titanic

Candid portraits of celebrities in the 70s

Larry Page's Business card in 1998, check this one out and read the story below it!

NYC in the snow in 1893

High School Fashions of the 1960s

The streets of NY in 1950

A Paris flat that time forgot for 70 years
you've gotta check out the story behind it

Color photos of circus girls
from the 1940s and 50s

and my favorite a color film taken in London in 1927

this group really is just the tip of the iceberg from this site!

Go check it out for yourself but be warned you'll spend way to much time there!

Here I Am With My Girl

2012-01-09T23:02:00.002-06:00

Just have to share a these precious videos of my happy little girl tonight!

she loves to "dance" and loved the country music playing at Rudy's during dinner...
{Canyon had a little extra twang to his commentary, enjoy!}

and from this evening before we put her to bed

{she is quite proud of her new found skill today of being able to climb and sit in her new chair!}

Here I Am With Christmas 2011

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

Ah, our was very busy buy very fun!!

We had the best time watching Claire attempt to opening presents and slowly but surely getting the hang of what was going on, but really just loved to play with the tissue paper and boxes.

Our Christmas festivities included a lunch on Christmas Eve at Shugie's to exchange stockings
{a Clifton tradition}

Also on Christmas Eve, the Eslers came over to our house to exchange a few gifts and eat Mexican food
{a Byars family tradition}

Bubbles and Claire; Claire played in this box for most the evening
Dad reading Twas the Night Before Christmas; Eddie and Canyon reading their presents
{books on the history of Wolflin, pretty cool!}

Midway through the evening, we changed Claire into my first Christmas pajamas

too cute!

On Christmas day, after our first visit from Santa, we woke up to open gifts...

{she LOVES her wagon!}

and enjoy some snow too!

little did we know it would end up snowing all day and we'd drive through this on the way to my parent's house

All the Cliftons and Eslers met at my parents house for a great lunch,
opening of more gifts, and playing with Claire
{who was a champ all day long in spite of only have one 30 minute nap
instead of her usual 2 hour and a half long naps!}

My candy cane bundt cake a I made and took over for the festivities

And its not Christmas without the Esler family Santa Clause Cookies!

Mawmaw and Claire hung out in their wheels while we all got lunch ready

Claire was kinda all over the place!

After a wonderful lunch, we moved into the living room and opened presents

Polly, Claire, and Bubbles were ready!

Then, thanks to the Funcles and Aunt Creighton, Claire got the ride of her life in a box!

She loved it!

Eventually it was time to pack up and head home in all the snow!

Many thanks to our family who made ours and Claire's Christmas so special!

Here I Am Again

2012-01-05T17:18:00.001-06:00

Well, sorry to disappear all week, it wasn't planned but just sorta happened.

we've been busy...

*packing all the Christmas decorations back up

{not only did we pack it all up, we reorganized the whole attic by putting everything into color coded bins for the different holidays instead of all the assorted sizes of misc. boxes all thrown in there. It was a lot of work but its SO nice now and will be much easier to use and keep organized in the future!}

*cleaning up the house and purging through things we don't need/use any more, feels so good to get it done but takes foooeeeveer with a sweet girl following me around and "helping"

*taking Claire's 1 year portraits. We took some as a family too and I can't wait to go back next Friday to see them!

*enjoying some normalcy. After the holidays, it's kind of nice to have evenings without events, cooking dinner at home again, and having some of our shows back on tv, haha! Its the little things.

*We have turned our guest bedroom into a playroom! All those new toys from her birthday and Christmas had to go some where!! Pictures and details coming soon.

So its been a productive week to say the least and to insure I have some time to finish a few projects I'm going to take the rest of the week off from blogging too. But I'll be back Monday with our Christmas, a few updates, and the playroom reveal :)

my girl rocking out with her Elmo guitar this morning

too cute!

Here I Am With An Offer

2011-12-31T12:30:00.002-06:00

Local readers...

I ordered four distressed blue metal tables online

{thought they were tv tray size, which they are not... oops!}

that are now for sale on craigslist.

$25 each, OBO.

Click here to see the add and their dimensions.

Let me know if you're interested!

Here I Am Asking You

2011-12-31T06:00:00.000-06:00

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

A sweet little duet byZooey Deschanel and Joe Gordon-Levitt, too cute!

{knew she could sing, but wow he can too!}

So, what are you doing New Year's Eve?

We plan to bring in the New Year with some of our dear friends, playing games, and enjoying a fun cocktail or two! While Claire will {hopefully} be sleeping soundly over at Shugie's house! What a year it's been! Full of highs and lows, laughter, joy, tears, fears, creativity, travel, great friends, wonderful family... oh how truly blessed I truly am!

Wishing each of you a very Happy New Year!

~Kaki

Here I Am Playing Catch Up

2011-12-29T14:13:00.000-06:00

There are several posts that I wanted to write but with the preparation and celebration of her birthday and Christmas plus all the normal/daily things that have to happen, I never had a chance to write them.

{ I feel like I write posts all the time now! Even as things are happening, I think of what I'll say and what not but half the time it just doesn't happen}

So, before the new year begins here are a few things that have happened this December...

***

Claire met Santa for the first time!

We were at Emmie's party {same party we found Emma at} and it was a Christmas themed birthday party, so of course Santa was there!

She loved being with the big kids while he read
Twas the Night Before Christmas to the group

She was all about singing Happy Birthday and the cake

But then when we sat her down in the big guy's lap...

let's just say she wasn't a fan of that!

Santa was so sweet and said he'd had some luck taking pictures standing behind the little ones. So we tried it and it is the most precious pictures!

She had no clue... :)

My Mom was quick to point out that Claire's first meeting with Santa, went a little like mine...

***

It's been pretty chilly here, so I've had to improvise on a few outfits to keep her warm!

Here she is in her fleece vest that Canyon and I got her while in DC.

love it!

That's my girl, getting the peppermint mocha coffee creamer out of the fridge!

***

She's had some CRAZY bed head lately...

I text this to my parents saying she did have my Dad's hair after all, hehe!

He can have some pretty wild "Kramer" hair as Mom calls it!

***
My little elf helping around the house
{oh and yes by the way... she's walking!!}

love the pom pom on the hood!

***
All dressed up in her Christmas dress!

complete with sparkly tights and velvet shrug :)

***
Before Christmas, we had a little playdate with her best little buddy, Michael

It's so fun now that they interact more!

Before long they'll be running around wild together!

***
she loves her new grocery cart!
{from MawMaw for her birthday}

she pushes it around and likes to chew on all the "food"... yum!

***
checking out her silver sparkly Toms
{they're still a little too big, but I just had to try!}

Thanks Christina!

***
loving on her dolly

literally.

and playing with her new bag {that her present came in, thanks Bubbles and Pops!}

***
breakfast.

someone has turned into quite the picky eater!
She's doing great at feeding herself and loves corn, diced apples and pears fruit cups, chicken salad, oatmeal, and american cheese but refuses peas if I just put them on her tray. But if I mash them and spoon feed them, she'll take them down like a champ... any suggestions!?

***
lookin' cute in her fleece lined jean mini and polka dot leggings!

***
in the grocery store, loving on her Gingerbread girl doll from her Aunt Creighton

she also got really excited and started waving,

so I turned around to see who it was
and wouldn't you know it was a M&M!

she was SO excited about the M&M!

She was so excited about it that when I pushed our cart on down the aisle
she started crying and fussing!
I'm sure we'll be back to visit the M&M again soon!

***
well, I think we're pretty much caught up to Christmas...
Those posts coming soon!

PS- Blogger is acting up, so if there is alot of space between text/pictures or no space between others, I apologize, I've tried fixing it but not sure whats going on! And then I published this post and it didn't show, so sorry if there's any issues with it! Not sure what's going on!

Here I Am With An Update

2011-12-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

So, we have a new addition to our family...

{and no, this is NOT a pregnancy announcement}

meet Emma, our new puppy!

We found her after Emmie's birthday party. She was on the front porch and was so sweet! She was excited to see us, as well as everyone else who was going into the party,
but would sit and wait for someone to pet her, even the little kids at the party.
We couldn't leave her without a warm place to stay as it was near freezing at night!

She was really tired and definitely hungry when we got to the house, and all she wanted to do was rest on the couch. We really didn't intend to keep her but she is so sweet and tries so hard to fit in and has really started to find her place in our house.

Upon Emma's arrival, a ball that needed to be nudged started rolling and regardless of if Emma stayed or not, we needed to make a change with Putter. Ever since we brought Claire home he has had a hard time adjusting and it was only getting worse in spite of all that we tried. He seemed jealous of Claire at first and as she got more mobile {and affected his space more} he grew angry, to the point that he would grow and nip at Canyon, Creighton, when she stayed at the house, and even me anytime we tried to put him out and he didn't want to go, or tried to pick up his food bowl, and many other times too. I tried to give him more one on one attention, train him, and everything. But it only got more frequent.

Then Claire would try to touch/pet him, or play near him and he would growl at her and move away. He clearly wasn't happy here. We needed to find a place that he would be happy and that Claire would be safe. It was our fear that she would do something to make him mad and he would do more than just growl. So thankfully, we found him a great home just outside of Pampa. The owners have another corgi, Frost, and I've since heard from his new owner and he is having a great time. He is doing great around their horses, likes to chase their barn cats {until they hiss at him}, and has had a great time running and playing with Frost in the recent snow. His owners are wonderful giving me updates and are willing to even bring him by if we need a visit. I'm just thankful that he is happy,has a great new home
with lots of room to run and play with his new friend.

And then there's Moose, who we joke will be put on craigslist daily. But he's now the oldest dog in the house and is busy showing Emma the ropes, cleaning up any and all food that Claire drops during her meal time as well as running and playing with his new BFF, Emma!

Here I Am With A How To

2011-12-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

With the colder weather {and snow!} I've been wearing more scarves lately.
Bored with the usual way I wear a scarf {#1},
I was thrilled to come across this How To on Pinterest
to shake up my normal scarf style!

#5 has been my go to since finding this...

enjoy!

Here I Am Wishing You

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!!
~from the Cliftons

{and back :)}

It's certainly been a busy holiday season and today is no different as we celebrate with the whole Framily but it is my hope that we {and you too}
can take time to reflect on the true reason for the season...

"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Here I Am With Our Halls Decked

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000-06:00

Last year, we decorated for Christmas but didn't get everything out since we would have a newborn when it was time to put it all away. So this year, in preparation for Claire's birthday party, we {I} went a bit overboard and the house is decorated from top to bottom!

Some of our new ornaments from the year...

Mr. and Mrs. Snowman with our wedding date!

This is one of Claire's favorites to take off the tree and play with

Claire loves it when we turn this one on

{it has little lights that blink on it}

Another new favorite!

Coco-Cola bear from the Coke Museum in Atlanta

Mt. Vernon

Taos

we have a few others like our apple from NYC,

a snow-globe ornament from Chicago {that I broke}

and a few others aren't pictured.

All in all we have loved having the house all decorated for the holidays...

especially this little one!

Here I Am With Claire's First Birthday Party!

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

So, here it is...

{one of the main reasons the blog has been a little neglected lately}

Claire's 1st Birthday Party!

Canyon and I had fun coming up with the details of Claire's birthday! With it being in December and knowing we wanted to have it at our house, which would be decorated for Christmas, we thought a gingerbread girl theme would be perfect!

The invite...

{it was created by my sweet friend, Lindsey! Check out her site
if you need any kind of graphic design done! She's wonderful! And I know Saturday was actually the 17th not the 14th, this was just a proof when I hadn't decided what day we would have the party just yet}

Our gingerbread house :)

{I made those lollipops out of paper plates!}

Wreath on the front door...

gingerbread cookie ornaments, peppermint candies, gingham bows, and of course a C

Taking a note from the Warren/Purdy clan, our party guests signed the inside of a book instead of a sheet or her baby book. I plan to do this for each birthday and after a few years she'll have a great collection of books to remember each party by.

This years book? Well, The Gingerbread Girl, of course!

Drink Bar

tea, water, cokes, and ginger-ale
fun stripe straws, gingerbread party napkins,
and silly peppermint cups for the kiddos from Hobby Lobby
and the favors on the bottom right: homemade mini orange gingerbread cookies

House Decor

I had a blank gingerbread house set up with candies and icing for everyone to help decorate it!
It came out pretty cute!

The Table's Decor

The plate is the first item I found for her party, via. Then when I found the gingerbread houses while Mom and I were down in Houston the theme was set! They even light up and change colors too!

and the food!

animal crackers, chocolate cupcakes, peppermint oreos, homemade orange gingerbread cookies {that Canyon and I stayed up the night before decorating!}, vanilla cupcakes, and chickfila chicken nuggets

Claire's Smash Cake

The guests!

{my child who refuses to wear anything on her head grabbed Melissa's sunglasses {bottom right} and wore them with a straight face! hilarious!}

Cake time!

The audience

She was sweet to share her cake too

After a quick change, we hung out with our guests and then opened presents!

The Rush Family was so sweet to give Claire a stroller and baby doll {which she loves!} but she refuses to push her baby in the stroller, instead she insists that she be pushed in it!!

This birthday girl was quite the diva!

I think our little Gingerbread Girl had a great time at her 1st birthday party! And it was so fun to make it special {if you know me at all you know I love the little details that make a party} and to share it with our family and friends!

Here I Am With Claire's First Birthday!

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-06:00

On her actual birthday, when she woke up, we went in singing Happy Birthday with a bunch of balloons that we put in her crib... she thought it was GREAT!

Then we brought her into the living room, where her gifts were waiting for her!
She was clueless as to what was going on, but thrilled with her xylophone!

That day was pretty much a normal day until that evening when we went to dinner with the Framily

{we sat over in a side room which was great so we had privacy, but the lighting was awkward!!}

But Claire had a great time opening presents

She received so many great presents, an Elmo guitar, LOTS of books {which are her favorite!}, a Little People car, a little cruise ship, a Patagonia jacket {yes they make them her size!}, a gingerbread girl doll {which she immediately hugged and loves to play with}, several other great things,
and her first piano...

Then after dinner, she had her very first cupcake!

She was more that just a little excited about it...

All in all I think her first birthday was a success!
The week before I had gone through all the pictures taken throughout the last year
and put them into albums.
{It totally stressed me out but with Canyon's help,
I was able to achieve my goal of having it done by her birthday!}
It was so fun to walk down memory lane and think back to when she was so tiny, the sleepless nights, fun memories made, trips and new experiences. I'm so thankful for this first year with our precious girl and look forward to what the next year{s} hold!

Here I Am

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

Ah, what a week/weekend its been!

With Claire's birthday last week and her party this weekend...

we have been busy!

{with all good things, just super busy!}

I look forward to writing up a post on her birthday celebrations

{and those of you who attended them and are reading this, please send me your pictures!!}

but for now...

we're recovering,

putting the house back together,

preparing for Christmas this weekend{!!},

playing with our girl and many of her new things,

and just enjoying this special season.

and because no post is complete without a picture...

this is a picture I took of our Christmas tree

while playing around with my camera the other day :)

Claire loves the Christmas tree

{and has been surprisingly good with it. She has her favorite three or so that she likes to pull off and play with but otherwise leaves it alone, and don't worry its tied to the wall with fishing line in two different places so it can't fall over!}

Here I Am A Baylor Bear!

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

I'm a proud Baylor Bear, always have been, but wow...
it's so much more fun to be a fan when your team actually wins!!
Haha!

It was a great season and Robert Griffin III {aka RG3} winning
the Heisman Trophy is just the cherry on the top!

I was proud but this video made me super excited for Baylor... check it out!

Here I Am With My 1 Year Old

2011-12-14T01:30:00.000-06:00

Today is Claire's ~~12 month~~ 1 year birthday!

Ah, where has this year gone!?

To compare how she's grown:

1 Month 2 Months

3 Months 4 Months

5 Months 6 Months

7 Months 8 Months
9 Months 10 Months

11 Months

12 Months

Here are a few things
***All About Claire***

**Activities**
*she moves around mostly by crawling but more and more its by taking steps about 3-4 at a time! Won't be long before she's walking all over this place!

*loves to pop up and hold onto the couch and walk the length of it

*she uses signs more and more, but is getting really good at communicating what she wants
mostly through pointing, grunts, and nodding her head yes and no.
*she knows exactly what she wants whether its what to eat, what to play with, where she wants to go, she is one opinionated girl
*she is still not a fan of bows but is tolerating hats more and more now that its so cold out

*she is pushing and learning limits and thinks its funny to keep
trying something when we tell her no... fun times.

*she absolutely loves bath time, even to the point of shedding tears when we take her out!

*she has 6 teeth, three on top, three on bottom
*she survived her first ear infections, 2 rounds of antibiotics, and steroids. Thankfully that did the trick but then she got a virus that gave her fever for close to a week! So thankful she's well again!
*she is "talking" more and more every day, the cutest is when she says Mama, Dada, Bubbles, fish, and bisha bisha bee
{have no idea what that means but she says it all the time and its adorable!}

*she enjoys being with people and loves to be out and about {especially with friends and family}

*She still eats baby food, but enjoys oatmeal or scrambled eggs for breakfast, pasta, cheese, corn, chicken salad, beans, and lots other foods {usually bits of whatever we're eating} but she's increasingly becoming more and more particular about what she'll eat. Especially the first bite, if she doesn't think she'll like it, she will shake her head and refuse the food even if its something she's had before and loved but then she'll come around and try it
but if she doesn't like it she'll spit it right out and hand it to me... fun times.

*She eats solids 3 times a day, nurses in the morning and night with two feedings of milk in a sippy cup after she wakes up from her naps.

*sleeps in her crib from when we put her down around 8ish,
usually wakes once in the night to nurse, then goes back down and wakes around 8ish
{yay for making my goal of nursing for a year!!}

**Favorites**
*crawling, taking steps especially with her walker, wiggling and dancing {bouncing back and forth}

*teething on everything, sides of her crib, my legs and fingers...

*waving to people

*being around people, especially children
*attempting to bit/put our toes in her mouth.. strange yes and startled me the first time she tried this! It usually happens when we are on the couch and she's playing on the floor below us and she'll pop up and attempt this strange thing. Obviously we don't let her but she does like to try!
*playing with "Baby" {my old cabbage patch doll} and Sarah {another little childhood doll of mine}
*pulling ornaments off the tree to play with them
*taking all the condiments on the bottom shelf out of the refrigerator
*"unpacking"- drawers in the kitchen and bathroom, her diaper bag, my purse, whatever it might be if it has something in it, she'll take it out!

*"making phone calls" on my decorative hand held phone
*drinking out of a cup with a straw and holding it herself

**Clothing**
*she's petite enough to still fit in 6-9 month clothes but mostly wears 6-12 or 12 month clothes
*she is wearing size 4 diapers during day and night

**Stats**

We have her 1 year appointment tomorrow so let you know soon.

{***So, no more rug photos for last month or this one, she's just too wiggly and refuses to lay on her back. Should have though of that the first month I started that, haha!***}

Claire,
You have proved to us just how fast time can fly. It seems like yesterday I was feeling you wiggle and squirm in my tummy and in an instant here you are today bringing so much joy to all who encounter you. You are the sweetest and happiest baby girl and you make our life so complete! You've grown so much from the tiny bundle we cradled a year ago and I can't wait to see what your next year holds. We love you so much baby girl!

Mama and Dada

Here I Am With An Phone Photo Dump

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

Just a few of the latest...

just a little bed head...!

this happens daily...

gotta check out the tree!

Here I Am Making Snow Globes!

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

After seeing these in Anthropologie in DC...

I thought we could make our own so

using a few of the jars from our wedding...

a little fake snow and glitter,

some tiny trees,

and a few of my Nanny's craft pieces she used to use...

we got our craft on...

just hot glue whatever you want in your snow globe to the lid of your jar...

pour in the fake snow and glitter; twist the lid on

{we glued ours on since a certain little lady likes to look at them}

and voila adorable new Christmas decorations!

easy peasy and nearly free...

ya can't get better than that!

Here I Am With The Spec Completed!

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

Sorry its been a while since I updated on the spec house, but its finally complete!

It was cleaned up this weekend and we took a little time to spruce it up with a little staging.

But here it is!

Front of the house

The Entryway

Great room with the
Dining room/ Kitchen/ Living Room

Fireplace

Kitchen Details

Mud Room

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Guest Bathroom

Front Exterior

Back Exterior

And done.

It actually was the

this past weekend and was open on Sunday.

Now, if someone would come and buy it!
{so we can move on to project number two!}

Here I Am With Little Cheerleader

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

We are a house divided between the Raider and the Bears so for the Tech vs Baylor game this year, we had the family over to watch the game.

Claire wanted to dress up for the game but wasn't sure which team to root for so she dressed for both :)

{her shirt has the double T and BU in side the heart}

It was a great game {Sic 'em Bears!!} and lots of fun to watch with the family!

{and yes, that is my Baylor line jersey from my freshman year!}

Here I Am A Week Before

2011-12-07T16:46:00.001-06:00

Its exactly one week before Claire's first birthday. I've been working on a few projects for her party one of which involved a few pictures and I'm just amazed at how this precious tiny baby

grew into this wiggly wobbly baby...

who grew stronger...

and became a push cart champ...

who grew into this walker...

Yup!

My baby girl has taken her first steps!

And as of now she is standing up more frequently, will do a squat or two, then either take more steps or sit down, here is she is as of this morning playing

{please forgive the mismatched pjs... polka dots and plaid its what you get for a mid-night change in clothes}

but WoW... it's just amazing how she has changed in just one quick year!

Ok, this Momma has gotta go grab a tissue...
my baby's all grown up!

Here I Am With Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

Here I Am With Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

What a great Thanksgiving we had this year!

We were blessed to not have to cook Thanksgiving dinner and instead we went to the country club for their holiday lunch. It was so nice, very yummy, and a lot of fun to have the Framily all together!

We got a kick out of Mawmaw taking phone calls during our lunch...

or just listening to a video on my phone!

After lunch we went to my parents house to relax. Claire had other plans when it came to nap time so we put her in the stroller and went on a fun walk through the neighborhood!

It was a perfect sunny, crisp day, my favorite!

We enjoyed some pie and left overs

{yes, in spite of us not eating Thanksgiving lunch, my parents and Shugie still cooked turkeys and stuffing so we could have "leftovers" :)}

Then we watched the last UT vs A&M game, Mom brought out her UT band vest again but shared it with Claire this year!

It was a great day full of laughter and fun, yummy food, and
memories of this little blessing's First Thanksgiving!

Here I Am Ready For Christmas!

2011-12-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

1. egg nog or hot chocolate? hot chocolate

2. does santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? definitely wrapped with great bows and usually a present topper {such as an ornament or extra little gift} too {its an Esler family tradition}

3. colored lights on tree/house or white? I really like both. We have white and I like how our ornaments stand out a bit more with the simple white lights in the background

4. do you hang mistletoe? kinda. I have a Round Top metal mistletoe sign I hang in the doorway to our bedroom, so yes if that counts.

5. when do you put your decorations up? We usually wait until after Thanksgiving, however this year we started early and already have everything up! I like that we get to enjoy the decorations {and our hard work} for longer.

6. what is your favorite holiday dish? This is a tough one but probably sweet potatoes or green rice casserole

7. favorite holiday memory as a child? Opening up a present from Santa and inside was a saddle, we then were told to go out into the alley, and there was a trailer with our new horse!

8. when and how did you learn the truth about santa? Can't really remember, so I guess learning the truth wasn't too tramatizing. I kinda remember being happy to be in on the secret because my brother still didn't know so I got to play along until he found out too.

9. do you open a gift on christmas eve? Growing up we did but its because we did Christmas with my Mom's side of the family on Christmas Eve so we all opened gifts from that side of the family. Eddie and I always asked when we got home if we could open one from under our tree but Dad would never let us.

10. how do you decorate your christmas tree? We have a little tree that Canyon had in his old house, its great because it already has the lights on it! Then we add our ornaments and are sure to add the ornaments that we collected during our travels from the year. Each place we go we are sure to find an ornament for our tree so it's so fun to look at our tree and see memories from New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Taos, and DC on our tree this year!

11. snow! love it or dread it? looove it, can't wait for more of it!

12. can you ice skate? Yes, not very good at it, but its kinda like rollerblading {not that I've done any of that recently}

13. do you remember your favorite gift? I've been so blessed with so many great gifts I can't really say theres a favorite.

14. what's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Definitely spending time with my family and carrying on family traditions

15. what is your favorite holiday dessert? Esler Santa Clause cookies. They're tedious to make, but man are they worth it!

16. what is your favorite holiday tradition? Probably Santa Clause cookies

17. what tops your tree? This year a vintage star with a green and red polka dot C under it and the love birds that were our cake topper sit on either side of the C. Sounds kinda crazy but I love it!

18. which do you prefer: giving or receiving? both, but I love giving especially when I'm really excited about the gift and just know the person receiving is going to be so excited/surprised

19. candy canes: yuck or yum? yum, especially in hot chocolate!

20. favorite Christmas show? Elf, for sure! I love quoting that movie!! And its a must to watch it while decorating the Christmas tree! But The Christmas Story is a close second.

21. saddest christmas song?

I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas, wait or is that the most annoying one...?

22. what is your favorite Christmas song? Hard to say, but I love Angels We Have Heard On High as well as any of the classics Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra and even Mariah's All I Want For Christmas.

I got this "quiz" from Libby who joined in the fun from irocksowhat. You should join too and be sure to let me know if you do!

Here I Am Back From DC

2011-11-30T06:00:00.000-06:00

We started celebrating Canyon's 30th birthday with an early morning wake up call in bed complete with presents, a red velvet cupcake, and the sweetest little girl in the world!

After a normal day at work we celebrated with a fun dinner for 25 plus 3 babies, with friends and family, including the Vinsons because Collier and Canyon share the same birthday!

Love that we get to celebrate together!

Claire went to spend the night with Bubbles and Pops and we headed home to pack up because early the next morning we caught our flight to Washington D.C.!

Well, on our layover Canyon decided it was time to get his boots polished

{for the first time in like 8 years! I'd say it was about time!}

In DC we were greeted by beautiful Fall leaves and a little rain...

a quick cab ride took us to our hotel, the W. Such a fun and modern hotel!

the lobby

pictures I snapped in the lobby

Our fun and funky hotel room!

that blue cube in the top right picture is our shower

They had some other fun things in the room too

We were anxious to get out and enjoy the city but we were hungry so its no surprise that our first stop would be

Then we took a cab up to Georgetown, and drove past the school's campus then went to hang around the beautiful old buildings full of great shops.

Then, we enjoyed dinner at Filomena, an amazing Italian restaurant that has a lady making the pasta fresh in the front window!

They were just starting to decorate for Christmas. I've been there in December when it's completely decked out and every nook and cranny is covered with vintage Christmas decorations.
so pretty!

We ended the night by going to the roof top bar on top of our hotel! Most amazing view of the Washington monument!

The next morning we were up and actually headed back over to Georgetown. I had a massage appointment to make and Canyon was ready to go exploring around the neighborhood. While I had the massage of my life, he took some amazing pictures

After lunch at Five Guys,

we walked around Georgetown in the daylight a bit and found Georgetown Cupcakes which is featured in TLC's DC Cupcake. We reaally wanted to try one but the line was out the building and around the corner!

Later, we went to the Holocaust museum.
Wow.
That's about all I can say. It was touching, heart wrenching, and made it all so real.
There were several areas I just couldn't handle and would speed through and wait for Canyon to catch up to me, and others I wanted to see all the pictures. The most amazing thing was that it was Veterans day, and they had several survivors being honored in the main hall.

That evening we went on the evening Monument Tour. It's definitely the way to see all the Monuments as they're lit up and the trolley driver/tour guides are wonderful and so knowledgeable! Our tour left from Union Station and we saw the Capitol, Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, and Korean Monuments. We also saw a bit of Arlington Cemetery and Iwo Jima. It was very memorable to be there on Veteran's Day and see all the wreaths laid by the monuments.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and definitely recommend it if you'll be traveling to DC anytime soon!

Saturday was a special treat as a dear family friend, Sally, picked us up at our hotel and took us on a tour through the White House! Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take any pictures while inside but it was so fun to hear her personal experiences in the White House and see and learn about it!

Then she took us to the Capitol too and gave a great tour {the interns usually do this, but they have nothing on Sally!}! We were there early and since it was Saturday, hardly any one was there, until the tours started at 10, we had the whole place to ourselves!

She then drove us out to George Washington's home, Mount Vernon! This was Canyon's favorite part of the trip. It was a beautiful crisp and sunny day, just perfect for walking around the grounds.

When we were done touring Mt Vernon, Sally picked us back up {she was SO sweet to take us everywhere!} and we went to a great little spot for lunch and had fun walking/shopping around Old Town.

But on our way there, she drove us through some neighborhoods, and look at what street we found!

In Old Town

Pops Ice Cream Shop!

The three of us by the river

"Mr. and Mrs. Washington"

TINY little house in Old Town

and check out this guy we stumbled upon... amazing talent!

Later in the afternoon, Sally drove us back to our hotel and we said our good byes. After a little down time, we got dressed up and headed to a fabulous dinner

On Sunday, we slept in a bit, had a fantastic eggs benedict breakfast at the Old Ebbit Grill {at Sally's recommendation} and it was SOO good!

Then we headed to DC's newest museum, the Newseum, a museum about the history of news and journalism. After purchasing tickets, you take a huge glass elevator to the top of the museum and work your way down. But on the top they have a balcony with a great view of the Capitol

{yay for awkward hand held iphone pictures, ha!}

Inside the museum has a section of the Berlin wall as well as one of the look out stands

They had a room full of drawers you can pull out of different front pages of newpapers with major historical headlines... soo cool!

They also had the antennae from the World Trade Center...

It was sobering to see first hand. They also had front pages of newspapers all over the world about 9/11.
The portion of it in the museum

They also had one of the photographers camera and personal items that were found. He shot pictures up until the second tower fell with him in it.

They had a video playing with an interview with his wife. She said while some people don't know where their loved ones were or what they were experiencing before the towers fell, she has a first hand account of what her husband was experiencing. She said when they called to say they had recovered his camera she said ok, let me see the last photo first. I need to know where it goes before I see what else is on there.

One of my favorite exhibits is of the Presidents' photographers. They have the longest panoramic screen I've ever seen showing how the position of the President's photographer came to be and how the different Presidents react to having every moment of their lives documented.

{check this out for more info}

{I'd love this book for Christmas, hint hint :)}

From there we walked the National Mall, stopping in the American History Museum to see these lil' beauties...

yup! The ruby red slippers from the Wizard of Oz!

That afternoon we spent time shopping around Georgetown and just relaxing. We had dinner reservations at a fancy restaurant but with it being Canyon's birthday trip, he realllly wanted to go back to Filomena for their lobster pasta he'd had our first night there.

Once again, it surpassed expectations and was a fantastic meal!

On Monday, we packed up, said goodbye to our funky hotel, and headed to the airport. Our flight was running late, so instead of hanging around the gate, we opted to pamper ourselves at the airports massage bar! It was a little awkward at first, but wow it felt great!!

Thankfully, we made it back to Amarillo safe and sound and just in time to catch the sun setting over the city.

It was a great trip that made us really proud of our country in spite of the current political climate, we came away proud of how far our country has come, seeing how we've been in slumps before and seen that we've made it out of them. DC is a beautiful city full of wonderful architecture, tons of history, and lots of fun too!

It was great to get away, relax, enjoy time just the two of us but boy were we excited to ave this sweet girl back in our arms!

Happy 30th Birthday, Canyon!

Here I Am Getting Older

2011-11-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

This was a while back but should definitely be documented that the last weekend in October was my

10 year high school reunion!

It was great to see friends from high school, especially those who came in town especially for it.

It was a series of events over a weekend that included a tail gate for the Amarillo High vs Tascosa football game {no pictures from this though as it was already dark by the time we got there}
We bundled Claire up and took her with us to the tail gate but opted to go to Roaster's, a local coffee shop instead of going into the game so we hung out with friends instead of freezing through the football game.

Then Saturday afternoon, we had several friends and their families over to play and hang out!

JJ {and Baby Blandford #2!}, me, Lisa, Sarah, Jennifer, Alison

We had everyone bring over their child's Halloween costumes since the holiday was that next Monday.

Lisa and Madeline the Ladybug

Me and my Bee

Blythe as Elmo!

Then Saturday night, we had an event at Joe Taco. It was great to see some people, hard to recognize or remember others but mostly just so fun to be with my sweet friends again!

I think everyone else had a great time too as there has been talk on our class facebook page of having a 15 year reunion instead of waiting another 10 years to the 20th.... we'll see if it happens but I hope so if it'll be as fun as this reunion was!

Here I Am Remembering

2011-11-27T10:37:00.001-06:00

It's hard to believe this was already/only 6 months ago!

Happy {6 month} Anniversary, Love!

Here I Am Thinking

2011-11-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking Claire might "need" a pair of these...

ohh yea...

durable, bendable, BPA free, UV protection...

and absolutely adorable!

yea, she might just find these in her stocking...

but don't tell her!

Here I Am Wishing You

2011-11-24T10:51:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving from our little turkey!

Here I Am With Bullet Points

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

* I'm a fraud. After posting the below post, we had a change in plans, so we have already taken all our Fall/Thanksgiving decorations down and even put them away! Our Christmas decorations are out of in the attic and in the theater room upstairs, and our tree is already up with lights in the living room... sorry Thanksgiving! We'll celebrate on Thursday but for now we're moving on to Christmas!

* I'm planning Claire's 1st Birthday party and I'm so excited with how its all coming together!! Can't wait to share the details with you! But that's for another day...

* Canyon had a great birthday celebration which included a wonderful trip for the two of us to Washington D.C.! Maybe one of these days I'll get around to posting it... hopefully by the end of the week.

* Claire is recovering from ear infections in both ears... many thanks to our sweet moms who took great care of our baby while we were gone! She's on her second round of antibiotics and finally on the mend!

* My current favorite drink is the skinny peppermint mocha at Starbucks! Seriously can't not get enough of it, just feels right with this chilly weather!

* The power cord to our video monitor is broken, Summer who makes the monitor is great and is sending us a new one for free! But it won't be here for a few days so I got a cheap audio monitor to use in the mean time. This makes me appreciate our video monitor even more! I miss being able to check in and see my girl without having to sneak into her room!

* I can't wait to celebrate and be with my Framily this Thursday!

* The sermon at church today was on Gratitude. Pretty appropriate for the season but also really cool how it fit with my quiet time study, Choosing Gratitude. More on this later...

* I saw Breaking Dawn this weekend! I'm not a huge Twilight Fan as I haven't read any of the books, well the first one if you count listening to it on a long car ride, but anyways, I went with my sis, some of her friends, and Shugie on Saturday afternoon. It was so good! I throughly enjoyed it and then Creighton gave me soundtrack. Ah, its amazing! I'm pretty sure Canyon is already sick of it but I love having new music to enjoy in the car!

* Oh, and best news of all, did you see the Baylor game Saturday night?! Amazing win against OU!!! AHH, Sic 'em Bears!!

* And because a post can't be posted with out a picture...my little pumpkin at the grocery store with me last week!

Hope to be back soon with normal posts!

Here I Am Agreeing

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-06:00

Don't get me wrong, I love the Christmas season but for whatever reason, I think Thanksgiving should have not only it's day but it's season too. I was in a store the other day, and granted Thanksgiving isn't really known for it's music, they had Christmas music playing already! So, I think its kinda cool that stores like Nordstroms is actually waiting until after Thanksgiving for their Christmas season....

{picture c/o my friend Diane in Houston}

I hope you are enjoying this season of thanks, too!

Here I Am Back From Houston

2011-11-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

Back in October, my Mom, Claire, and I flew down to Houston for a quick trip!

My Mom had a meeting to finish her application for Global Entry. And I was looking forward to seeing a few friends {wish I could have seen more but it was a quick trip!}

Our hotel was perfect and we ended up on one of the top floors. It had a window down by the floor that Claire loved to watch the cars and people below from.

Poor Bear, most of the time she was in a shopping cart or the stroller
with all the shopping we crammed in!
{Home Goods, Super Target, Ikea, DSW, Rice Village, and the Galleria just to name a few}

But she always made the most of the ride though...

One of the highlights of the trip for me was meeting my coworkers for dinner...
L to R... Top: Bessie, Me, Dini
Bottom: Lindsey, Claire, Karen

I wish I could have seen more of the Fay School family, but it was a blessing to see this special group who I worked with for so many years and be able to finally introduce them to Claire!

Claire with Dini, who I always referred to as my Fay School mom
because of the way she always checked in and took care of me

Bessie is expecting Baby Number 2!

Claire hung in there as we all talked and caught up!

But eventually, she'd had enough so we said our goodbyes.

Goodness, I miss seeing them day-to-day,
they're such a fun and supportive group of women!

We ate at some of my old favorite places...

Maggianos, Firehouse Subs, Kolache Factory, of course Pot Belly! and California Pizza Kitchen

{well we went to CPK, ordered and then Claire was done. She was passed a nap, hungry, tired, and sick of being strapped down in a seat, so we got our food to go and went back to our hotel to eat while she played and got ready for bed}

a few other random pictures from the trip

While it was a really fun girls trip, it was a little bittersweet being back in Houston. Seeing friends and remembering happy memories made it totally worth it. Plus, I told my Mom while we were there, that I think it's pretty cool that I can travel to the fourth largest city in the US and know my way around. I did drive by my old house, and that was kind of sad as it is completely run down. The yard was a mess, the garage doors ruined, and it looked as though no one was living there. I don't know whats going on there but in some ways it made it easier to just leave it in the past. I left Houston a year and a half ago, so ready to get away from that city and the life that I had there. But to have gone back, and remembered the good times, the things I enjoyed about it, and especially getting to see those who are dear to me there, it was really healing for me. So, I am grateful for a safe and fun visit and hope my next trip to Houston is sooner rather than later!

Here I Am With My 11 Month Old

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

Today is Claire's 11 month birthday!

How in the world can my baby girl be a year old next month??
Where has the time gone?!

To compare how she's grown:

1 Month 2 Months

3 Months 4 Months

5 Months 6 Months

7 Months 8 Months
9 Months 10 Months

11 Months

Here are a few things
***All About Claire***

**Activities**
*she is still crawling all over the house!

*she will pull up to stand and even let go to stand alone for a few seconds before dropping down
{and sometimes pops back up to stand again} or plopping down, and she's getting even faster at it

*she uses signs, some of the time, mostly just waves her hands up and down when she really wants something

*she likes to choose what she plays with, if she doesn't want something she'll just throw it to the side
{which can make a rather loud/startling sound, with some of her toys while in the car!}

*She is still not a fan of bows or anything on her head with the exception of a hat if we're outside and its cold but even then, its pushing it.

*she likes to push limits to see when we will tell her no. But she does stop to see if we're watching and sometimes if we say no, she'll just go on to something else

*she still loves bath time and now wiggles up all around the tub

*she has four teeth with another on the top about to break through
*she has had her first ear infection and subsequent first trip to the doctor and had to sit on the sick side of the waiting room, as well as her first round of antibiotics
*she is "talking" more and more, but its not just jabber, there are mamas, dadas, wawas, and it sounds like actual words

*still takes her some time to warm up to a group but she definitely knows the members of our family and loves seeing each of them

*She loves to eat! And one of her favorites is chicken salad {go figure since she's mostly made of it since that's about all I ate while pregnant!} I put little blobs of it on her tray and she'll feed it to herself. She also likes cooked chicken, taco meat, turkey, cheese, peas, muffins and corn.

*She eats solids 3 times a day, nurses in the morning and night with two feedings of milk in a sippy cup after she wakes up from her naps.

*sleeps in her crib from when we put her down around 8ish, usually wakes once in the night to nurse, then goes back down and wakes around 8ish

**Favorites**
*crawling {she's really fast!}, pulling up, standing up
*walking around with her little walker cart toy {or anything that slides, even a cardboard box}

*teething on everything, sides of her crib, my legs and fingers...

*waving to people

*making people smile when she's in the grocery cart or high chair in a restaurant and waves at them to get their attention then usually gives a big grin

*playing in her "tent" in the living room
*playing with toys on the rug
*playing with and being around other children
*drinking out of a cup with a straw and holding it herself

**Clothing**
*she's petite enough to still fit in 6-9 month clothes but mostly wears 6-12 or 12 month clothes
*she is wearing size 3 diapers during day and night

**Stats**

As of her impromptu doctors appointment on November 3, she weighed
19 pounds 4 ounces!

Claire,
we love you so much!
Your little laugh, your wiggles, how you make us laugh whether you're trying to or not, when you play hide and seek, how you love getting into everything, that you're so independent... all of you makes us sit in awe and marvel at how you have grown! We love every minute with you!
~ Mama and Dada

Here I Am On A Special Day

2011-11-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

In school, I always loved writing my name and date at the top of papers.

Don't ask me why, I just did!

I loved it at the beginning of the school year and
thinking of how long it would be until I was writing May on my paper.

But my favorite days were ones like today's date.

Whether it was 01-02-03, 9-9-99. etc...
I have no idea what I was doing on those days, but I remember always
looking forward to writing them down.

So, while I'm not writing the date at the top of my homework today,
I do want to wish you...

Here I Am With An Update in Claire's Room

2011-11-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

This window

+
this blog's DIY inspiration of using
foam board, packing tape, batting and fabric

=
Claire's new cornice board window treatment!

Yep, I used foam board to create the cornice board! It's crazy but it worked! And alot easier than dealing with heavy wood, or other materials!

Then my favorite part is the pennant flags.

I found them here on Etsy and the flags are made of Cath Kidston fabrics.

They happen to be the very fabrics I based the color scheme for her room on.

So, I love that they're finally in her room!

{I also love that I didn't have to choose just one but can now have all of them in there!}

The cornice board is not only cute but helps block out more sunlight allowing my sweet girl to get more rest!

So, I guess you could say this new window treatment makes everyone happy!

Here I Am Wishing

2011-11-09T06:00:00.001-06:00

my husband a very

You are an amazing father

and husband!

Claire and I are so blessed to have you as ours!

Love you

and hope today is a great birthday!

Here I Am Loving My Dog

2011-11-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

I love my dog, but do you think this might be a bit too much?

nah...

Here I Am With Caramel Apples...

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

Want to know the most delicious caramel apple dip EVER?

Mix these

according to this recipe...

Ingredients
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 container Marzetti's Caramel Apple Dip
1 bag Heath English Toffee Bits

Put cream cheese, both sugars and vanilla in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Or using an electric mixer, beat on medium until smooth and creamy.

Spread on a serving plate. Either a dinner size plate or a decorative platter. Top with Marzetti's caramel dip found in the produce section of your grocery store. They have just recently added Marzetti's Sweet and Salty. I think that sounds wonderful. I have not tried it yet, but I bought one to try this weekend. I am going to be big as a barn!!!!

Spread the caramel over the cream cheese to about a 1/2 inch from the edge. About 3/4 cup or so. Then sprinkle with the Heath bits, (not ones with chocolate). About 1/2 cup.

and...voila!

...a little taste of heaven!

Here I Am Recommending...

2011-11-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Want to know one of the best scents for Fall?

Nature's Wick candle or diffuser

{found at Target}

in Bonfire Nights

Ahh... smells SO good!

Here I Am With Our Hallowen

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

This Halloween season has been so much fun!

Last week, we went to our dear friends, the Vinson's house to enjoy dinner and carve pumpkins!

{love that this has become an annual event!}

Becklyn {4 yrs}and Claire loved getting to eat dinner together!

Then it was on to carving the pumpkins!
Jessica, Baby Neely, and I mostly hung out
while the Dads and big girls got busy!

They were quite proud of their creations!

Claire's Jack O Lantern has 4 teeth just like she does!

The day of Halloween, Claire and I took a few pictures, one of which I showed on here but here are a few others that are pretty darn cute!

And here are the ones I took of our little
Honey Bee!

We weren't sure what she should be for her 1st Halloween, but she is a busy bee
these days, so it's pretty appropriate!

but when she was done taking pictures, she definitely let me know...

So, after her morning nap, we went to visit MawMaw!

Everyone at Park Place oohed and ahhed over Claire's costume and of course she hammed it up with big grins and waving to tell them hello!

Then later, we went to my parent's house to help pass out candy!

The whole Framily was there!

So were the Millers and Polly and all in costume too!

Claire did trick or treat at our next door neighbor's house, but otherwise she sat and played in the grass with her new Halloween toys and flashlight!

There were lots of trick or treaters

but it was really fun when the Rush family came by

At one point Trick or Treaters were lined up down the side walk waiting for candy!
It was nuts, I've never seen it like that before, but it was so much fun checking out all the different costumes!

We passed out candy until it was all gone, then hung out

and enjoyed yummy frito pie that my Mom made!

Ah, it was such a fun Halloween!

I look forward to the many more to come with my Bee!

Here I Am With Our Snow Day

2011-11-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday, the snow kept falling into the afternoon!

It was a great snow as it stuck to everything but the roads

so it was all the beauty without the mess

So, I bundled Bear up in her warmest outfit

{its actually a 3-6 month outfit! It was tight, but it fit!}

Her mittens and hat made the outfit complete

and we headed out to inspect the snow

and her verdict...?

she loved it!

though it wasn't long before she was fussing to go back inside!

So, we headed indoors into warm up and enjoy a snack...

...and play!

what a fun day!

oh, happy

11.1.11

today!

Here I Am Wishing You A

2011-10-31T11:49:00.001-05:00

from my little pumpkin!

I can't wait to show y'all the pictures of Claire in her adorable costume!

But we've kept it a secret so we'll have the big reveal when we go over to my parent's house with the Framily to pass out candy to the trick or treaters this evening!

So, I'll be sure to post pictures soon! ~Kaki

Happy Halloween!

Here I Am With Hot Chocolate on a Snowy Morning!

2011-10-27T09:04:00.000-05:00

I've started a new routine and this morning,

I'm so thankful for it because sitting in my living room watching snow fall in my back yard!

Ah, what a great way to start the day!

So join me, will you?

Grab a cup of coffee, or peppermint hot chocolate like I'm drinking,

and let's talk, k?

This blog has been on my heart lately. It's become exactly what I didn't want it to be. I keep up with many different blogs {probably too many} of all different kinds... family blogs, design blogs, cooking blogs, fashion blogs, celebrity baby blogs, yep a little of them all. My least favorite are those that were a great, really interesting blog turned baby blog once their first child is born. I get it, your kid is cute, but where's all the fun stuff I used to find here? Well folks, I am example of A of just that.

I love the posts I've written featuring Claire and documenting her growth. But I also want to be real with you. My lifes not perfect, she's not always smiling or doing adorable things, I have worries, and things that stress me out! So in an effort to be more real, more authentic, on here
I wanted to share a bit about my new routine.

Claire and I are usually up around 6, sometimes earlier {around 4} but usually around 6. Canyon has a new routine of getting to the gym in the morning, so about the time I head back to bed, he's getting up. So instead of going back to sleep, I've started staying up and enjoying some quiet time to myself.

I have to say, its been a great way to start my days. I have time to gather my thoughts, pray, read, and prepare for the day. I've been so much more productive because I have a plan for the day rather than just flying by the seat of my pants!

So in my quiet time, I write at least 5 things I'm thankful for, and 5 people/things/situations to pray for in a journal each day. Then I lift all those things to God in prayer. I've always said prayers, usually throughout the day, just lifting things up to God, which I believe is what He wants, but I also love writing these thoughts and prayers down. It's a great way to keep track of it all, and having a set number to write out makes me think outside the box sometimes and I believe it gives God a chance to lay things on my heart. It's in those quiet moments of being thankful and praying that I hear God speaking to me. I've even started that if I don't have something to fill that 5th spot on my prayer list, I click on Facebook and the first person on my news feed is added to my list and I pray for them. It may be at random, but I feel everyone needs to be lifted up in prayer.

Then I've started a new book, Choosing Gratitude. I've always thought I was a pretty positive thinking person. But when I started nit-picking at Canyon, or being frustrated with Claire, I couldn't just blame that on being tired all the time. I needed to work on something inside me.

I started the book and wow, I was hit like a ton of bricks. I hadn't even finished the preface and I was writing quotes down in my journal because they struck a chord in my heart. But here's a bit that I focused in on...

"Over time, choosing gratitude means choosing joy.

But that choice doesn't come without effort and intentionality. It's a choice that requires constantly renewing my mind with the truth of God's word,

setting my heart to savor God and His gifts and

disciplining my tongue to speak words that reflect His goodness and grace-

until a grateful spirit becomes my reflexive response to all of life."

I make the above statement my new goal.

And I ask you, my friends, to hold me accountable to that.

There's more I want to share on here, but Claire is waking and I need to go snuggle and play with her on this snowy morning! It's hard to be more vulnerable on here, but this blog started out to document my life, all my life, the good and the bad. And it has for the most part, but I just feel the need to dig in a little bit in hopes that in some way it speaks to your heart too. I don't know how frequent these sit down and talk posts will happen but thank you for joining me today. I look forward to having
coffee {hot chocolate} again sometime soon!

Here I Am With One Word Wednesday

2011-10-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

jeggings.

Here I Am With My Tiny Dancer

2011-10-25T17:45:00.000-05:00

Sorry, this posted earlier but half the words and pictures were missing! Not sure what happened there so I've reposted it, hopefully with all of it this time!

Recently, this little lady and I

went to see this fellow

play with his band down on 6th street.

Claire loved it so much she did a little boogy of her own!

...such a fun evening!

Here I Am With Rock, Paper, Scissors

2011-10-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

Marydon, thank you so much for your guess!
{And you were right about it being a mess!}

but this...

while it didn't look like it then,

its actually a rock!

You see my sis in law, Creighton, and her friends had a great ideas for a Halloween costume!

Rock, Paper, Scissors
and she was the Rock!

We used a large bouncy ball with some cardboard bent and taped to it,
a little paper mache mix {with cinnamon sprinkled in to make it smell good}
lots of newspaper torn in strips,
several days to put 3 layers down with dry time in between,
a band of elastic sewn it to keep it on,
a little grey, brown, black, and silver paint,
brown glitter for sparkle and texture
and voila...a rock!

I also made some headbands for the girls to wear and tie their costumes together...

So on Saturday night, they went to the costume party looking adorable!!

so fun!

Here I Am With Another Spec Update

2011-10-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

Last week the flooring was installed!

and see those guys over there?

they were installing the island's granite and the kitchen sink!

kitchen flooring

Originally we were going to continue the wood through the kitchen, but I like how the tile breaks up the wood cabinets and wood floors...

The adorable bench in the mud room

Guest bath... best shot I have of the blue so far...

Front bedroom

up close of the color... I still love it!

They're working away over there! And got it in great shape for the open house last weekend!
Thankfully lots of people stopped by.

{mostly just nosy neighbors instead of interested buyers,
though we do have a few different leads on it!}

Here are a few pictures I snapped during the show...

The entry

LOVE that light!

Kitchen

and Barrett, our builder's setup for the show...

Dining area

Barrett thinks we'll have it done and cleaned up in about a week or so!

This has been such a fun project! Can't wait for the next one!

Here I Am With Great Deals

2011-10-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of WUSLU?

It's a site that daily features a different home good for sale at a discount. It's a great place to get designer, trendy house decor for less!
Who doesn't like that!?

If you sign up, you get an e-mail each morning around 10am with the new daily deal. That item is for sale that day only and some times they run out so you have to snatch it up!

This site is fun because from time to time they'll have a vote for which item should be the next daily deal, so you can have some say in what is featured.

While I've never purchased anything from the site myself, I thought there are lots of you out there who may find it interesting. They've featured great things like...

and those are only a few of the great items...

If you're interested, check it out here.

Or if you're looking for other great shopping sites check out
Joss & Main

and
One King's Lane

They say they're members only, but all you have to do is sign up to be able to shop there.
Some of the prices at all these can be ridiculous, but there are a lot of good deals too.

Happy Shopping!

Here I Am With My Busy Little Helper Bee

2011-10-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

She loves to help cook in the kitchen...

and do the dishes...

put out the Fall decorations

she'll even help return phone calls

so with all that hard work she needs to refuel

and get a little playin' and relaxin' in!

It's all in a days work!

;)

Here I Am Asking You

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

any guesses as to what this is...??

Here I Am With

2011-10-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Haha, I saw this on Facebook and it made me laugh!

Here I Am Ready For Fall

2011-10-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

Fall has arrived at our house!

Front Porch

Entry

Front Rooms

Living Room

Kitchen/Dining

I love this time of year!

Here I Am With A Fish Update

2011-10-15T17:30:00.000-05:00

So, we couldn't leave an empty tank just sitting on our counter top for too long
so meet our new fish...

{they're both Cichlids}

You'll notice that the orange one is in a bowl...

he picks on the blue one so we had to separate them.

So, if anyone would like a fish... we have one for you!

{seriously!}

But until then we have two fish, in two homes...

atleast they're happy and thriving!

Here I Am With My 10 Month Old

2011-10-14T16:00:00.000-05:00

Today is Claire's 10 month birthday!

I am loving this age! She is so happy, into everything, and so much fun!

These past 10 months have flown by! It's so hard to believe
she was ever so tiny to sleep on my shoulder,
but here we are with our wiggly little girl!

To compare how she's grown:

1 Month 2 Months

3 Months 4 Months

5 Months 6 Months

7 Months 8 Months

9 Months

10 Months

Here are a few things
***All About Claire***

**Activities**
*she is crawling all over this house!

*she will pull up to stand and even let go to stand alone for a few seconds before dropping down
{and sometimes pops back up to stand again} or plopping down

*she still uses signs, some of the time, mostly just waves her hands up and down when she really wants something

*she lets us know what she wants to play with and where she wants to go

*I found two thin headbands with sparkles that she'll keep on her head but that's it! No bows, no hats... I'm hoping she grows out of this phase quickly

*she's heard a lot more of the word "no" and while most of the time she stops what ever she's doing, she's started to think its a bit of a game, smiling at me, then trying whatever it was she was doing when I told her No... gonna push some buttons that one!

*bath time is her absolute favorite and she gives the
biggest smiles when we wrap her up in a towel afterward!

*she has three and a half teeth, that front left tooth is half way down now! I'm so ready for it to come in
and her not be in pain and have slight fever any more!
*she is saying more and more, including some "dadas" and "mamas"{melt. my. heart.}

*still takes her some time to warm up to a group but she definitely knows the member of our family and loves seeing each of them

*She loves to eat! But she really loves her purees, other than puffs, blueberry muffins, and the odd bite of cheese,
she doesn't really like texture in her food. We're working on it though.

*She still eats solid food 3 times a day but I've had to up the quantity to keep up with all her activity and nurses 4 times a day at least, sometimes more. But I'm trying to wean her but she refuses to drink out of a bottle, cup, and sippy. Thankfully she'll drink water out of a straw, but she's not really into weaning. {any advice?!}

*sleeps in her crib from when we put her down around 8ish, usually wakes once in the night to nurse, then goes back down and wakes around 8ish

**Favorites**
*crawling and pulling up

*teething on anything {like the handle on the oven door?!}

*waving to people

*making people smile when she's in the grocery cart or high chair in a restaurant

*playing in her "tent" in the living room
*playing with toys on the rug
*playing with and being around other children

**Clothing**
*wears size 6-9 month clothes or 6-12 month clothes and even some 12 month items
*she is wearing size 3 diapers during day and night

**Stats**

No new stats until her dr appointment after her first birthday

Claire,
It is so amazing to see you grow

and learn new things each and every day!
We love you and are so thankful that you are our little 'punkin!!

Mama and Dada

Here I Am Back From Tech

2011-10-13T23:56:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, we had a very special guest come in town!

Lindsey and I were co-workers at The Fay School for years and good friends as well! She stopped by to visit in July on her way home from a trip to Colorado and we talked about how fun it would be to go to a Tech game {she went to Tech} so last weekend, she flew into town and we did just that!

After picking her up from the airport, we went to dinner.
Claire was really excited to have Lindsey with us!

On Saturday, after showing her around Amarillo a bit and grabbing some breakfast,

we dropped Claire off with my parents

and headed down to Lubbock.

The rain predictions didn't come true...

and it was a gorgeous evening for a football game!

Unfortunately the Raiders didn't come away with a win,
but we had a great time anyways!

After the game, we met up with friends at Chimy's and I finally had one their legendary margaritas

pretty tasty and super strong

Shortly there after, Canyon drove us
back to Amarillo, safe and sound.

Sunday morning, we enjoyed a fabulous brunch at BL Bistro, picked Claire back up, and took Lindsey to the airport. Only to drive back to the airport to pick her up because her flight had been canceled and she wouldn't be able to fly out until TUESDAY!?
{it was crystal clear in Amarillo, but there was bad weather in Houston}

So, we showed her more of what Amarillo has to offer,
and took her out to the Cadillac Ranch!

Canyon and Claire had never been out there either...

It was a beautiful afternoon!

and even a little muddy after the rain earlier that week!

We hung out, enjoyed more time with Lindsey,
took her to Amarillo places like Taco Villa for dinner with Braums for dessert!

Then we hung out at the house, played with Claire, watched Pan Am

{anyone else obsessed with that show like we are!?}

then headed to bed early as we were able to get her
on the first flight out of Amarillo on Southwest.

Lindsey,
It was so much fun having you here! I And I'm so glad we'll get to see you again in Houston next week! But you definitely need to come back and visit soon so we can grow our collection of one liners!! West Texas loves you too!

Here I Am With Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-12T06:00:00.002-05:00

Here I Am With Another Spec House Update

2011-10-11T06:00:00.004-05:00

The days are ticking by and the house is coming together!

These are actually from about two weeks ago,

but here is the paint color!

View from entry to living room

up close

Master

{this color doesn't really translate in pictures but its actually a lot warmer color in person than the living room color}

love the crown and rounded walls

Fireplace

Kitchen is coming along nicely

It's hard to see because there isnt a light in there just yet
but this is the guest bathroom painted the great blue color

Tile flooring is in in the bathroom,
needs to be grouted and cleaned up!

***

Then last weekend, we went to check on things and I took these...

The counters are in and the back splash is going up...!!

I love the braided stone and the stone subway tile!

The desk area in the mud room

Master bath

Guest bathroom

I apologize for the fuzzy photos taken with my phone's camera. They're working this week to get the flooring in, lighting up, and other details as we're showing it in this upcoming weekend's Fall Home Show!

So, all you local readers, come check it out!
{8406 English Bay, just off Coulter near Hollywood Rd.}

Here I Am With My Little Pumpkin

2011-10-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

One evening last week, we took Claire to the pumpkin patch for the first time!

She wasn't too sure what to think,

I brought her adorable pumpkin hat

But

she wanted nothing to do with it!

boo

at least I got one adorable shot!

We picked out a few pumpkins which now make our front porch quite festive!

Here I Am With How Our Garden Grows

2011-10-09T06:00:00.007-05:00

Seeing how usually all plants come to our house to die,

we've been really impressed by our front gardens.

Ironically, in the hottest, driest summer of all, our plants have thrived...!

Go figure...

We've weeded off and on, and as of late more off

{those rose bushes were tiny when we planted them last spring!}

because we had some strange things growing in the beds
and kept them to see what it was...

unfortunately, we still have no idea what it is... any ideas?

We've had a huge birds nest in our front entry light and I think with the birds coming and going and dropping their food {and poop}, we've had a variety of seeds planted for us.

So, we've cleaned them up and even prepared for Fall a bit...

But instead of pulling this one, whatever it is,
I thought we should keep it as a decoration for Fall!

pretty appropriate, don't ya think?

I'm so glad we get to enjoy these flowers...
until the first cold front moves through.

Here I Am Making Baby Food

2011-10-08T06:00:00.003-05:00

It's been an adventure but I've taken on the challenge of making Claire's baby food.
{well most of it, but more on that in a bit}

I have loved using the Beaba Baby Cook to
first steam fruits and veggies then in the same container puree them.

{You by no means have to have this to make your own baby food, I just love how this
does just the right for a couple of portions of each food,
the water used to steam the food is what is used to puree it so no nutrients are lost in making her food,
its super easy to clean,
and doesn't take up a lot of counter space.}

Once a food has been steamed and pureed,
I pour it into baby food plastic container/ small muffin pans for perfect portions.

I freeze the foods in the containers and once frozen solid, I take the frozen food cube and put them into zip-locks, where they then go back into the freezer.

So each morning, I take out the portions of food Claire will need for the day, put them into individual child size plastic bowls with lids, stack in the fridge where they defrost and are ready for her next meal time! {or if I forget to take them out, I just use the quick defrost program on the microwave}

It took a while to

1. make this process routine

2. for Claire to build up all the foods she could eat to allow for such a variety

3. maintain a great selection

4. not stress over it

but now that it is {more} routine, I enjoy making her food and
knowing what exactly what she's eating.
We do give her yogurt, canned organic pumpkin puree {cause face it I'm not cooking a whole pumpkin}, smoothies, puffs {my goodness does this girl love her puffs!}, and a some pre-made baby food like green beans and peas. {I've made them for her, she just doesn't like the texture of the ones I make, she eats the pre-made super smooth peas and green beans without any hesitation... so we're working on that, ha!}

And when we're out and about {restaurant, car, plane}

I feed her from handy dandy pouches like these...

You're actually supposed to attach a spoon to the top

to feed them but we never do.

May be kinda odd, but I just squeeze a little food into Claire's mouth straight from the package, and she loves it! Or if I'm able {and sometimes to help contain the mess on her face} I squeeze it onto a spoon to give to her. Regardless, she loves the flavors and I love the convenience.

I've found them at the grocery store, Babies R Us, Target, Wal-Mart, just about anywhere! The ones that we've tried are all organic and I love how they mix the fruits and veggies, so it makes it easy to keep her diet balanced while we're out and about!

Anyways, just wanted to document whats been going on as well as
share what I've learned in hopes it can help someone else out.