Letters to Everett: 10/22/12

Dear Everett,

This past month you have changed so much! You are really chatting a lot now, mostly gibberish but there do seem to be a few recognizable words here and there. You're favorite world to say is probably "bood-ball" which we think means football! It is really cute because you run around the house yelling it!

This month you started playing with Mowgli! You love to throw the tennis ball for him and you laugh and laugh every time he runs after it. I love watching you play!

You love to run and play outside, although you didn't really like playing in the leaves. We took you to Graves Mountain for the Apple Festival this past weekend and you loved seeing all the dogs! Every time you saw one you would sign the word dog and yell "dog!"

You are settling into our new house and love to run up and down the hallways and around the living room! You even lay down and roll over and over... maybe you've been spending too much time playing with Mowgli!

Here's what you've been up to this month:

9/25/12: You started nodding yes today

10/1/12: You said cookie

10/11/12: Today was the first time I heard you singing

10/13/12: You said football today and did the Gators clap

Momma and daddy love you to the moon and all the way back!

Xoxo,

Momma

Around the Nest: Playroom- It's Done!

Looking for Nifty Thrifty Friday/Nap Time Craft Time?  Don't fret, come back next Friday for a fun and exciting craft project! 

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Well the first room to be completely done in our new house is, of course the playroom! A lot of work has gone into this room and I can't wait to share the final product with the world! 

So here is the blank canvas that we started out with. 

Here's the room with the landscaping added...

So we have been working on getting all of Everett's toys and fun stuff in there and having a great friend of mine, Lisa come and paint Dr. Seuss characters on the wall.  She did an AMAZING job and if anyone in the Fredericksburg area needs a mural painted please contact me and I will get you her info. Without further ado, here it is folks! :)

  

  

We LOVE how it turned out and Everett really enjoys playing in there! 

Mouth Watering Wednesday: Paleo Lasagna

Welcome to Mouth Watering Wednesday! Spice up your life and try a new recipe!  This week I am posting a recipe for all you Italian food lovers!  Lasagna, paleo style! 

Disclaimer: I originally found the inspiration for this recipe here, however I changed it so much that I am sharing my version!  I hope you like it!  

Here's what you'll need: 

For the meat sauce: 

• 1 onion, diced 
• 1.5 lb ground beef (or ground meat of your choice)
• 3-5 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 can of tomato paste (the small can)
• 4 tbsp Italian spice blend (oregano, basil, garlic etc) 
• 1 carton mushrooms (chopped)
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp pepper

For the cheese sauce: 

• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 head broccoli, roughly chopped

For the "noodles":

• 2-3 zucchinis and/or yellow squash, cut into medallion rounds

Here's what you'll do: 

• First, saute' up your onions in a skillet (I usually use olive oil the keep them from sticking) 
• Add your ground beef and cook until meat is browned
• Add your remaining ingredients for the meat sauce
• In a separate bowl combine the ingredients for the cheese sauce
• Now, in a casserole dish (you'll want to use 9x13 or larger) start layering up your items. You should get at least two layers of each.
• Zucchini/squash, meat sauce, cheese sauce

• Top with extra cheese (if you like) and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Thompson Number Two: Week 9

Weight gained to date: I am still -2 lbs from my starting weight 

Estimated size of baby:  Green Olive (1 inch long)

Foods I am craving: I am still loving Subway (even though it's not paleo!) I think that it is something about the pickles, lettuce, turkey, salt and pepper, and olive combo that makes it so delicious! 

Foods I am staying away from:  My love of peanut butter is still suppressed.  I am hoping that soon I will like it again! 

How I am feeling: Pretty good.  I am waking up feeling nauseous but I usually am pretty good after I take some anti-nausea medicine and eat a few crackers (again not paleo).  I am still feeling tired but that might have something to do with the fact that Everett has decided to protest sleep lately.  Boo! 

Notes:  What the what!? I am already wearing maternity jeans! This is crazy and I really don't remember having to wear any type of maternity anything until the second trimester last time!

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch

Tiphany and Micah, Stephanie and Jaxson, and Everett and I went to the pumpkin patch this week.  They had all sorts of fun things for the kids to do, like a cute little cottage that was "toddler size" as well as a sand box, tire swings, a rope swing, kittens, baby cows, sheep, llamas,  chickens, and of course pumpkins!  We had a blast! Check out some of the pics I snapped! 

Just for fun, here's a side by side of Everett at the pumpkin patch last year and this year! Time sure flies! 

Nap Time Craft Time: No Carve Jack O Lanterns

Welcome to Nap Time Craft Time! Shhh, don't wake the kiddos!  These posts feature a craft that is so easy you can complete this project during nap time! This project can also most likely be completed with items you already have at home! Simple, cute, and free?! I know, awesome right!  

This is actually a craft that you might want to include the kiddos in because it is fun and the kids will like it because it's messy!  

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I started thinking about how every year we carve pumpkins and every year they get so nasty that I have to make Tyler throw them away because I can't stand to look at them anymore.  So I have come up with a different idea that I think is a super cute way to create a Jack O Lantern without having to actually carve the pumpkin.  

I did some "research" (okay I googled What paint will stick to pumpkins) and found this article. It gave three options: latex paint, spray paint, and puffy paint.  If this weren't a craft that I was going to do with Everett then I would have probably gotten out the spray paint, made a stencil, and went to town but since I wanted this to be his pumpkin I went with latex and puffy paint. 

Here's what you'll need: 

• A pumpkin (clean and dry) 
• Various paint colors
• Brushes (or fingers)
• Sponges cut in triangles (for eyes and nose) and smile
• Towel, sheet, something to paint on
• Clear spray paint (optional)

Here's what you'll do: 

• First make sure your pumpkin is clean and dry 
• Now spread out your towel, sheet, etc so you don't make a mess! I used "cling wrap" on Everett's highchair and that worked out pretty well. 

• I used the paints that I had to make darker more "fall" colors and put them on different bowls so that they wouldn't all start blending when Everett got his hands in them.

• Start your kiddo out with the lightest color and let them at it!  You will want to work from light to dark colors so that they will all show.  Also, ensure to rotate your pumpkin throughout the process so that the whole thing gets a nice paint job.

• After your little Picaso is finished (or is too messy) let your pumpkin dry fully.

• Now it's time to give this guy a face! Using sponges or free-hand paint on the eyes, nose, and mouth! 

• Once Mr. Jack O Lanterns face is dry, use a clear spray paint to seal the masterpiece. 

That's it!  Pretty easy and the great thing is that this baby will last through Thanksgiving so you will be able to enjoy it all harvest-long! 

Mouth Watering Wednesday: Snack Time

Don't touch my dip!

Welcome to Mouth Watering Wednesday! Spice up your life and try a new recipe! This week I am featuring two easy to create recipes that everyone in your family will love. 


First up is a salsa and cream cheese dip that my Grandma makes every time we come to visit... let's just say that it doesn't last very long!

Here's what you'll need: 

• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 1/2 cup of Pace medium salsa

Here's what you do: 

• Using an electric mixer (or a blender) combine both ingredients.  Note: It will be sort of chunky which is okay :) 

That is it folks. Seriously easy and oh so delicious! We gave some to Everett the other day and I think he is hooked.  You can eat this with corn chips, veggie chips, celery and carrots, whatever! :) 

Enjoy! 

Thompson Number Two: Week 8

Weight gained to date: -2 lbs, Since I was in and out of urgent care and the ER and I was dehydrated I haven't really put on any weight yet.  (Yay) 

Estimated size of baby:  Raspberry (.5 inches long)

Foods I am craving: SUBWAY! Once I started feeling better from being sick and could actually start eating again I think I have been to Subway three times! 

Foods I am staying away from: Sweets and peanut butter- so weird because I usually have a ridiculous sweet tooth!  I guess this will help me not gain too much weight!  

How I am feeling: Much better THANK GOODNESS!  Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts these past two weeks.   I am pretty tired but that is definitely a normal pregnancy symptom! :) 

An Update and an Announcement

After my visit to the emergency room on Sunday I was instructed to follow up with my doctor on Tuesday.  When I got to my doctors office I was still feeling very tired and not anywhere back to "normal."  My doctor checked me over to make sure that the ER hadn't missed anything or misdiagnosed me.  She said that I did have an infection and to continue on with the antibiotics but she was very concerned because I was extremely dehydrated.  She sent me over to urgent care to get some IV fluid in hopes that would help me get back on my feet. 

At urgent care I was given two full bags of IV fluids and they retested my dehydration levels.  Unfortunately after two bags of fluid I was still at the far end of the dehydration scale and to top it off, as I got up to leave I had to run to the bathroom to throw up.  Bummer. They gave me a shot of anti-nausea meds and sent me home with instructions to come back the next day (Wednesday) to get one more bag of fluids.  

Monday and Tuesday night, Everett and I stayed with Tyler's Meme so that she could take care of us.  We are back at home now and Tyler has taken today and tomorrow off.  I am really working hard at drinking lots of water, Gatorade, etc. as well as eating so that I do not start slipping back into dehydration!  

Oh and did I mention that I have been pregnant while this is all happening?  :)   Yes, you read that right, Everett's only child status is expiring in May of 2013! For those of you wondering, we have been monitoring the baby during this crummy time and s/he is growing like a weed!  So please send the prayers our way as I am still not back to feeling normal pregnant. 

Thanks y'all! 

An Apology and an Explanation

To all my wonderful Not So Average Momma followers, 

I appreciate all of the "blog love" and comments that I receive and I wanted to let you know why I have been MIA all of a sudden.  You may have seen my "Moving Day" post this past Saturday where I mentioned we were moving and that I had a migraine and an upper respiratory infection. I have been laying on the couch, unable to do anything since Monday night (September 24th) and went to urgent care on Friday where I was misdiagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and given a Z-pack.  By Sunday I was feeling worse and Tyler took me to the emergency room where further tests showed that I had a massive bacterial infection (on top of the migraine).  I was given a full bag of IV fluid, a shot of antibiotics, instructed to finish the Z-pack, as well as an additional antibiotic prescription. 

A BIG thank you to everyone who came out to help us move this weekend especially to Tyler's mom, Teresa.  We would not have half of our stuff if she wasn't there to help us pack it up.  Thanks to my parents; Tyler's parents, Uncle Scott, and Meme; Walter and Angelina; Jessica; and Krystal and Aaron. 

I am still laying on the couch but am slowly feeling a little better. I want to apologize for abandoning y'all but I am hoping to go back to regularly posting soon.

Lots of love,

Laura