Who does she look like?

In my opinion, our sweet little lady is the prettiest thing I've ever seen. And the sweetest. When she was born she came out looking just like her daddy. And there are some "theories" out there that babies are born looking like their fathers so that 1) they don't eat their young and 2) they stick around (i.e. don't leave). Pretty crazy. Now that Charis is almost 4 months old she's starting to look like both of us. But I must say she still looks a lot like Adam. Judge for yourself. (I clearly don't have as many pics as Adam since I am the youngest of 4 and he is the oldest, so picked the 2 best of us)





not looking too excited about the bonnet. really?!

adam was so stinkin cute

yes, she is as sweet as she looks

I didn't even get pictures by myself. me and my brother, tony

Sweetheart

This year I found success in making Adam's birthday cake. I mean-after last year, as Adam put it, it could only go up from there. Nice. Since Adam's birthday is on Valentine's Day I feel like it should be an extra special cake. His day is already ruined by the consumer-crazy-if-you-don't-have-a-significant-other-you-are-a-loser holiday. (I know that's harsh, but do we really need one day to celebrate love? NO.) I digress. After my failed attempt at a strawberry cake last year, I did some research and the Pioneer Woman came through for me with her "Strawberry Shortcake Cake." It was beautiful and yummy. (even though it looked nothing like hers)


Since we can't really go out for his birthday we stayed in and grilled steaks from a local farm as well as sweet potatoes. Thanks to my mom we got to get out to see a movie. Oh gosh how I miss going to movies. I went a lot when I was pregnant to "store up" because I knew it'd be hard to go once Charis was here. Anyway. We saw Crazy Heart and I highly recommend it. Jeff Bridges was fantastic. Go see it.

I'm so thankful for my "sweetheart." I rarely use that kind of language for him, but he is. He's just want I need and I love him lots.

Tres Months

Three months. A fourth of a year. Thirteen weeks. Our sweet baby is 3 months old! Before you become a parent and in the early days/weeks/months it seems like all you hear is "this time flies by." I have tried my best to enjoy the time as it "flies by." In reality, I can't believe it's been 3 months since Charis Root came into our lives, but so far I don't feel like it's flying by too fast. It's been just right. It's been enough time to savor all the little snuggly sweet moments with her. We are crazy about her. I have a confession...the moments after she was born (and I mean in the delivery room) Adam and I weren't sure how we felt, in fact, for us it was gradual. We'd prepared so much for the big day, that the presence of this little babe was just crazy. I mean of course we loved her, but it wasn't like most people described happens. However, 13 and 1/2 weeks later we are totally smitten. When she's sleeping we go in and look at her (but we don't want to wake her, noooooooo). It's this weird tension of you want to put them to bed b/c a) they need sleep and b) so do you, but once she's in her bed I miss her presence in my arms. It's strange. I'm not doing any of this justice. She's amazing. She's the best thing to happen to us, individually and as husband and wife. She is a delight. We want her to know truth and to know how deep and long and high and wide she is loved.

Let's see what's been going on in her sweet little life of 3 months (we know it's not a ton, but as a new mom everything is so fun to document)...
- She is way more aware of her mommy and daddy as she follows us (with her eyes) as we enter and exit rooms
- I think she's realized her hands are connected to her and she has some control over what they do. what a cool discovery!

she loves her hand!
- She has an effect on things (and people)...in her bouncy she would hit or kick the bird and the music starts, once it stops she does it again.
- Her first snow!!! It actually did snow here and of course we took some pics even though she had no idea what was going on!

yeah, see, no idea
- the Saints won the Super Bowl. i mean-big deal for sure. Since her daddy and his family are from Louisiana, it matters to her!

watching the Saints w/ her daddy
- She is sleeping anywhere from 11-13 hours at night. I'm not even sure if this is okay, but i'm not trying to "wake a sleeping baby."
- We're pretty proud of the fact that she can almost stick her whole fist in her mouth.

get em!!
- Her daytime sleep/naps are starting to look more like real naps and not just random bouts of sleep.
- She spends lots of time on her tummy and now can hold her head up so so high. It's so cute.

she loves her jungle mat
- I'm not sure what her 3 month weight is, but I think she's doing just fine in this department.
- She's super serious. Sometimes we feel like she is going to talk to us b/c of the way she intently looks at us. But don't worry she's got a silly side too...her smile will melt your heart. i promise.

- she's been to YL with me and the girls love her
- she eats from a bottle often and lately she's been putting her hands on it, well we got her holding it all by herself!! (it's the small things y'all)

she loves to eat!
- we took a walk in the stroller with no carseat. she looked like such a big girl chilling in the stroller all by herself!

I think she likes this view better
- she's officially a thumb sucker and it's super cute

the moment she finds her thumb, she's out
- as I mentioned in my last post our sweet and amazingly talented friends, Chris & Jen Hunt, tooks some family pics for us to commemorate her 3 months. (it was a cold day and she was a little funky, but still so cute)

I'm not ashamed that I've become one of "those moms." I could shout from the rooftops how much I love my little lady. I will continue to take countless pictures and make notes on what she's doing. That's the joy of parenthood...there are no rules on how we are affected by our child and what that turns us into. I have a better understanding of how God loves me like his daughter, but I imagine this is just scratching the surface. I admit, I was nervous about becoming a mom...more so b/c of the culture of motherhood and all the pressure out there to keep up with what others are doing or comparing yourself to others. I have totally been set free from this. I welcome the "just wait til you have another" and anything else people want to say. I have also learned not to be so critical of others but to hopefully encourage them on the journey they are on. What I've learned is to enjoy. IN JOY. God has given me something so amazing and all the other stuff doesn't matter (what percentile she's in, which daycare she'll go to, when she starts eating, etc.). I am so thankful for this season of life and the sweet gift it is to have Charis.

she's done it again

with her words and her camera....jen has and is teaching me about love, friendship, God, truth, beauty, girly things, my heart, being a mom, being a wife, and so much more.
this past weekend she and chris took some pics of our new family. enjoy

Bakersorous Rex

Ok, I wouldn't say I am a great baker. With most things, I get into moods. Moods to clean, to write, to read, to cook, to bake. You get the idea. Recently I was given a bread starter kit and some recipes for bread. Let's just say the birds won't even eat this bread. It weighs about 10 pounds. My mom has been telling me about this "fool" proof recipe she recently found on vegweb.com. I gave it a try and it's amazing...just like the honey wheat bread from Great Harvest. I'm serious. I was so excited when I saw it rising...it was so beautiful. here is a pic of the masterpiece.

the yummy bread...it even looks legit

Since I was on a baking roll I decided to try homemade cupcakes. I got lost on the Pioneer Woman and Bakerella as I was doing my "cupcake research." These women must have endless resources, no children, no job, and a HUGE kitchen to accomplish what they do. Nonetheless I was inspired to make these little yummies.

yummy from scratch cupcakes

...just add chocolate icing!

We've had a lovely Saturday...picture taking with the incredible hunts, hanging with my nephew and just enjoying a gray day. (believe it or not). here are a few pics of the day


my nephew, Julian Cole...he's a mess


baby girl cuddling with bear


sleepy boy with a mohawk


i can't get enough of this

GROUPON

if you haven't discovered GROUPON yet, you are missing out. click on this link to sign up for daily alerts. they have deals on all sorts of things...massages, eateries, hotels, mani-pedi, and lots more. it's free to sign up! plus you may be able to get yourself a little "happy" if the deal is right for you!