{Happy Halloween}

Caroline was Peppa Pig for Halloween this year. That is a character on Nick Jr. that she loves to watch. It is an adorable british cartoon that even makes me laugh! She was adorable :)

{NANAS!}

I am really going to try to get better about posting. C is doing way too many fun things not to document!

Funny thing... I remember when my nephew was younger, he was a really picky eater as a toddler. And I remember hearing that is pretty common.

I have a pretty picky eater on my hands, but it isn't the typical "chicken nuggets" or "hot dogs" that a lot of toddlers prefer.

My child loved fruit in puree form, but really doesn't like it in it's original state. (surprised Mama on that one!)
The only one she likes is bananas.
Bananas, Bananas, Bananans. Or, "nanas" as she calls them.

She does love to eat!

At this point, of her three (+) meals of food per day (and Goodness!! Toddlers can put down some food!), she prefers:
potatoes (Tay-toes)
avocado (ah-ca-do)
green beans (gee-gee)
and...
NANAS! (I typed in all caps because she usually yells it)

If you haven't seen this clip from Despicable Me, you should watch it. That's about how every meal goes for us around here. Haha!

This is what happens when she realizes she has finished her banana:

{happy birthday hubby}

I have the absolute best husband in the world. I really do.

And today is his 31st birthday.

I told him recently that our 20's really brought some amazing things, but I feel like our 30's will be even better.

Zach is the hardest working person I know. And I really am not saying that. He works 12 and 14 hour days sometimes, just for me and Caroline.

He is so patient. Lord knew that when he put us together :)

He literally could not be a better father. I really can't think of one thing he could do better. Caroline loves him with all of her heart.

He is so selfless. He does so much for me and for Caroline, and never ever complains.

I have known him for over 10 years and I couldn't be more grateful that he was put in my life.

I am really so blessed.

Happy Birthday, love.

Salud!

{Happy Half Birthday Caroline!}

18 months. Wow. My daughter is a year and a half. I really can't comprehend that. It's just nuts to me. She was being silly this afternoon, so I grabbed my camera and took a few shots of her just being herself. She is the best. I need to write more things down. I feel like I am forgetting stuff she says or does!

{living simply, living intentionally}

"Look for the bare necessities,

The simple bare necessities.

Forget about your worries and your strife.

I mean the bare necessities,

Old Mother Nature's recipes

With just the bare necessities of life"

"The Bare Neccessities"

by Phil Harris and Bruce Reitherman from Disney's, "The Jungle Book"

I have a passion in my life for living simply. That's not to say I am always successful. But, I try and always be mindful of it.

In my 20's, I have come to learn many life lessons. One being that life just continues to get busier, and it's important to stop every once in a while and reflect. Am I going in the right direction? How can I serve and glorify God in what I do?

I am pretty sure I have cited this blog several times, but here it is again. Simple Mom, founded by a lady named Tsh Oxenreider, is a wonderful resource. Not just for Moms, but anyone who sometimes feels overwhelmed by the daily grind.

She talks about keeping the house clean and organized, saving money, managing money, raising children, work-life balance, among many other things. Her blog has been so successful that she expanded into a network of Simple Living blogs with many different contributors on many different topics.

She has written a book called Organized Simplicity, which ironically, has been sitting unread on my table for about month now. Nice, Kate. This is what I am talking about. Ugh. (Hanging my head in shame)

She also has written an e-book called, One Bite at a Time. It's $5 and outlines how to make life simpler one step at a time. (Did she write this for me?)

I just downloaded it, and just scanning through makes me so excited to read through it. 169 pages of tips for people like me, who need a plan to wade through the everyday mess of life.

I recommend.

Happy reading! Happy Simplifying!

(*Side note: Caroline is eating breakfast next to me, I have Pandora's Disney radio station on, and I am typing this post. The Bare Neccessities comes on. How appropriate. :)

{change}

(forgive the iphone picture)

It's pretty amazing how fast things can change, especially with kiddos.

We went from liquid diet at 15 months, to pureed food at 16 months, to 18 months (almost) completely off pureed baby food. I am sure a lot of that has to do with her having a mouth-load of teeth.

Remember how I said the doc still wanted me going for 24-30 ounces of formula a day through 2 years old? Yipes. Ain't happenin' any more! She will drink about 10 ounces in the morning right when she wakes up, 4-6 ounces before naptime (if I am lucky), and then about 8 ounces before bedtime. So, not horrible, but we are short a good 6-10 ounces. With all of the food she is eating, I think we are okay on calories, so I am not really worried.

Caroline looooves potatoes, avocado, and bananas!

People have been asking me how she is doing with food lately, and I wanted to post about it. She is doing great! I basically have her on a whole foods sort of diet. No wheat/oat/barley, but it hasn't been too hard to work with at this point. I am hopeful :)

{impact}

I am sure it is fairly obvious by now that I am highly motivated by positive words. I don't think there is a lot of room in life for dwelling on the negative. I think if things aren't going right, the only thing you can do is get on your knees and pray. Everyone is fighting their own battles on a day to day basis, so the best thing to do is have faith that God's plan will reveal itself and it will all work out. All that being said, I love all of the Steve Jobs quotes that have been popping up all over social media. This is one that I put up on Facebook and Twitter, and I liked how this person graphically laid it out. I would love to print it out in a small frame on my desk or (someday) office.