We'll Be In Touch

This month has flown by! September was a much anticipated month, with the start of school and football and fall, and I can say so far it has not disappointed! Here is a peek into what I and we have been up to this month!  WHAT WE'RE EATING... I've been on a Weight Watchers kick this month (hooray!) so most of our dinners have been "points friendly". Finding these recipes has also helped us get out of the same things we were eating week after week all summer!  Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Layered Chicken Enchilada Bake from Emily Bites Blog I also love using this Taco Seasoning recipe on chicken about once a week.  All Recipes Taco Seasoning WHAT I'M REMINISCING ABOUT... Monday was Aaron and I's 6 year engagement anniversary. What a fun night!  At dinner that night we met a Saints coach and he let Aaron try on his Super Bowl ring! WHAT I'M LOVING... We got a new ALDI in our town and we LOVE it! It

I can't say enough about this past year of school for Canon. He was in Ms. Gaby's class with 15 other kids and was the 2nd to youngest. I tell this story to perspective parents at my job all the time about when he started. I had a quick conversation with Ms. Gaby about the "academic" things I wanted him to learn by the end of the year, especially writing his name. She stopped and looked at me and said "give me 6 months to work on some other things, and then in the spring we can check back in". Okay, I trusted her.  Turns out, she of course, was so right. Over the course of this year Canon has learned to write his name and lots of letters. But, more importantly, he learned about being a good friend, playing with others, communicating his feelings, using his words instead of his hands, and so much more. He learned about architecture and insects and community helpers and his vocabulary expanded a ton! We do High/Scope curriculum and much to my pleasure, he

I can hardly believe my sweet boy is FOUR! So many things happened within a week of his birthday, but today I'll just focus on his actual day.  Aaron and I had been talking for a few months about getting Canon his own tablet. Mainly because 1) when he wanted to watch something on Netflix it was on my phone and 2) he had gotten into YouTube videos and we didn't love that. Mostly what he watched was age-appropriate, but there were times when the suggestions led him down a not great path.  We know a few friends with the Amazon Fire for Kids and after hearing their positive reviews, we decided to get him one.  He clearly already knew what it was and yes, we do refer to it as his iPad.  We're 10 days into it and I have to say I love it. Not only do I have my phone back, but mostly because of what he does when he is on it. He spends much more time playing interactive games than watching videos and the videos he does watch make me feel much better. All the PBS kids

We took Ben to his 18-month appointment on Wednesday and he was so dang cute. Our doctor said she had a few other 18-month appointments that day and they all cried for her. But not Ben. He looked up at her with those sweet blue eyes inviting her to try and make him smile. He made her work for it, but in the most precious way. He gave her a few of his hearty, deep giggles and I know she was so pleased.  He is really  starting to understand the power of his facial expressions and how they can elicit actions out of people. He has playful ones, but he can also work up a good stubborn face to let you know he does not like whatever you are saying.  His vocabulary is starting to pick up, which is SO MUCH BETTER than it was 2 months ago when he would just fall out and cry. My favorite though right now is when he is trying to say "truck", because y'all, you know it is coming out like a 4-letter word I can't write. And even better when Canon says "Mommy, why

We had a super fun summer weekend! Friday night started as a date night for Aaron and I at the Giants vs. Nationals game. The Giants lost, but it was a nice night for baseball! Sidenote: I am totally loving the new Instastories! I had such a hard time with Snapchat, this is a much better fit for me! Saturday morning we went to the Zoo! We spent about 2 1/2 hours and walked close to 4 miles.  Long naps afterwards!  We decided early Sunday that we'd take the boys to the Sunday afternoon baseball game. It was hot and they were tired, but they did so well! Ruth and Lyman joined us and though the Giants lost again, it was totally worth going.  The game was at 1:30 and it was past 5pm by the time we got home. We did early dinner and put the boys to bed about an hour earlier than normal. The best part - they both slept until 7am this morning which is unheard of! Yay for fun summer weekends!