Routine - BBBBB

BBBBB


The five B’s are important for Mason. He takes after both his parents in that he thrives on routine and is a happier baby because of it. Every night starting between 7:30 and 7:45 Mason starts his bedtime routine which consists of the 5 B’s (Bath, Books, Bottle, Burp, and Bed). After a little splish-splashing,

he settles in for his two favorite books, “Puppies and Piggies” and “How Do You Say Goodnight”.

By then Mason is ready for his bottle, and on most nights he is asleep right after a burp, which makes him easy to tuck into bed. As shown here:

This routine works great for Mason and has had fabulous results with helping him get to and stay asleep.

Do you thrive on routine? Have you found a great routine that works for you and your little one?

P.S. HAPPY 6 MONTHS MASON!!! Your 6 month post will come after we go to the doctor for your height and weight!

Beach House Updating....

BUZZ! BANG! BANG! BANG! BUZZ!


For those of you who are unfamiliar with these noises, it is the sound of hard wood floor installation. After many years of tracking sand in their flip-flops from the beach, to their house in Oak Island, it was time to give the warn-out carpet a face lift. Here is where I come into play. Lynsey and her mother picked out the hardwood floors that they wanted, took them to the beach house a couple months ago, and waited for a good weekend to put them down. So while Mason and the girls were eating cake at Colleen’s baby shower, Lynsey’s father and I were down on all fours pulling up the carpet and putting down the new floors. After a couple long days and 24 boxes of flooring, here is the finished product…

I couldn’t have gotten it done without my little helper. Though probably a little too small to use the miter saw, he was pretty good at handing me pieces of wood. Never too early to get him started.

Since Lynsey wasn't there to take a before picture, this is the only one we could find. Ignore us and look at the carpet in the picture. It was old and worn out.

And After...

We must say, the hardwoods made a huge improvement and Lynsey's mom is already making a list for me to update the bathrooms next.

Of course, this post wouldn't be complete without a few more pictures of our little guy...

Colleen and Keith's Baby Shower

This past Saturday Jennifer and I hosted a baby shower for our best friend, Colleen and her husband Keith.

picture "borrowed" from Jennifer

They decide to have a "jack and jill" shower so that Keith and his buds could join in on the fun. Keith's family was able to fly into town for the shower and it was great to see them again. Everyone had a wonderful time and enjoyed all the wonderful food that was provided by Jill, Colleen's mom, and Teresa from Create a Cake Catering.

Jennifer and I provided the decorations for the shower. Thank goodness Jennifer is the crafty one and could make a diaper cake! It was gorgeous! A tutorial about the wreath I made will be gracing the blog very soon.

I am almost certain Colleen and Keith were able to check almost everything off their registry after the shower. They received so many wonderful gifts.

Mason had a wonderful time playing with his cousin, Reagan! It is always so nice when the babies have each other to play with. We sure do wish we lived closer to them! We can't wait to add cousin Belward to the mix!!!

Speaking of Baby Belward... he or she (Mason is praying for a boy.. he wants a buddy!) is going to be one lucky baby with this stunning nursery!!!

Congratulations Colleen and Keith! We can't wait for April 18 and are more than ready to meet Baby Belward!!!

Stay tuned to read about what Brian was up to while we were at the shower...

Movie Time

I can not wait for Something Borrowed to come to the theatre.

This is one of the many Emily Giffin books that I have read in the past and throughly enjoyed it. The trailer was just released and it makes me even more excited!! This would be the perfect movie to see with a bunch of your girl friends.

So.. May 6! Mark it on your calendar. Now, which of my best buds wants to head to the movies with me that day?!

Wake Forest Game

In past years, Wake Forest men’s basketball has had catchy themes for their seasons like “Wake the Neighbors” and “Wake the Nation.”  This of course is when Wake Forest was a national title contender.  We think the theme for this year’s team should be “Wake Up.”  Needless to say Wake Forest basketball has struggled, but that doesn’t stop us from taking in a game with our friends Chris and Dawn when some tickets come available.  We had great seats, and saw Wake Forest play one of their best games of the year coming within a rim rattling desperation shot at the buzzer of defeating Miami.  Better luck next time guys, but we sure enjoyed watching the effort.

Sad excuse for their student section...

Perhaps the best part of the night... Screamin' Deacon ice cream!

Such a big boy...

Our little guy was introduced to a sippy cup the other week. He wasn't sure about it at first. Notice the lovely finger I got...

But then he seemed okay with the idea.

We have since changed to a different sippy cup that is much easier to hold and use. It's certainly a learning process but he is getting there. I can't believe he will be 6 months old at the end of the month. Where has the time gone?

Valentine's Day Wrapup

Valentine's Day was low key for us.

Since Brian had to work late on Monday, we celebrated a day early. We had lunch at Village Tavern while my mom watched Mason and then went to an open house. The lunch was delicious and if only the house and been as nice as the pictures!  Brian also surprised me with tulips and the sweetest card!

That evening we baked cupcakes after Mason was in bed to take to Mason's first Valentine's Day party.

On Monday we spent the day visiting Grammy at work and attending their Valentine's Day party. Mason loved the attention. He also received a gift from Peggy! Thanks Peggy.

Once Brian got home we ate dinner and enjoyed a cupcake. Mason wanted in on the action too. Sorry bud... maybe in a few months at your first birthday.

And that was our Valentine's Day. Nice and low key. Just the way I like it.

Did you and your loved one do anything special for Valentine's Day? Perhaps you exchange gifts? Go out for a fancy dinner? Or maybe you prefer a low key version? Please share.

Little Man's Wardrobe

I'll be honest, I am a bit of a clothes snob when it comes to Mason's clothes. Sure I love Old Navy for everyday, around the house aka play clothes but when it comes to going somewhere nice or going to church... That's a different story. I like and take pride in Mason looking good. However, I do not like the prices of some longalls, john johns, bubbles, etc. That's where facebook comes into play. Yes, you read that right.. facebook!

I have found two excellent facebook pages that offer adorable boys clothes for cheap. One of the sites is a consignment site- My Little Lollipop and the other - SweetBabyTutu-  is one that offers items at discounted prices.

Check out some of the items that I have recently purchased for Mason. Not sure why they photographed so strangely but you get the idea.

If you are around the Winston area, I also highly recommend you checking out Buttons Boutique on Country Club Road. It is by far my favorite children's boutique in the area. My mom and I went last weekend and she was VERY generous to Mason. Check out all the adorable clothes we got.. all on SALE!, including his Easter outfit!!

And this one is reversible. Two outfits in one. I like.

One other online site I highly recommend is Zulily. Straight from their website: zulily is fabulous! It's a new online store offering daily sales events on top-quality apparel, gear and other goodies for moms, babies and kids. We carry the best brands at the lowest prices. Members enjoy savings of up to 90% off retail prices. zulily loves to find deals on favorite styles, and we love introducing our members to exciting new brands, too.

Joining is FREE!!!! Don't miss out on great sales. Click here to join today.

This cute little number arrived at my doorsteps Monday. It's perfect considering how much Mason's daddy loves tools.

So are you a jeans and shirt kind of mom or are you a clothes snob for your little one? Do you have a favorite store to shop for yourself , for your kids?

Wordless Wednesday: 5 months

Just for Jen... The collage cut off his 4 month wording on the picture. No idea why.

 

Heart Healthy: Pork tenderloin with apples and balsamic vinegar

Serves 4


Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped apple
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Lightly coat a baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the pork and sprinkle with black pepper. Cook until the tenderloin is browned on all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and place in the prepared baking pan. Roast the pork for about 15 minutes, or until a food thermometer indicates 160 F (medium).

Meanwhile, add the onion, apple and rosemary to the skillet. Saute over medium heat until the onions and apples are soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the broth and vinegar. Increase the heat and boil until the sauce has reduced, about 5 minutes.

To serve, place the pork on a large platter. Pour the onion-apple mixture over the top and serve immediately.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

We hope you have a wonderful day filled with love, laughter and happiness. 

We sure do love our little man!

Film Friday: Future Soccer Star

Never too early to get a little kicking practice in. Hopefully Mason will follow in my footsteps and will be playing soccer before the age of 5! So of course, we had to do a little kicking practice. We start out easy... kicking a book and work our way up. Hehe. He was able to keep himself entertained for almost 5 minutes. 5 minutes of straight kicking. Insane.

Happy Birthday Bestest!!!!

Happy Birthday to my bestest, Colleen!

Today we celebrate the birthday of one of my best friends. Colleen and I have been friends since high school and we have had so much fun together. We have stood by each other through thick and thin, we stood by each other in our respective weddings and now, through a new phase in our lives.. parenthood and impending parenthood.  Our friendship knows no distance and even though we don't get to see each other as often as I'd like, those times we do, we never miss a beat.

Colleen and her husband, Keith, are Mason's Godparents and we couldn't have been blessed with anyone better. They love Mason so much and we are so thankful for their love and friendship. It means so much to me that my best friend is the Godmother to my first born.

And now, it is Colleens turn to become a mom. I am so excited to watch her go through this new phase in our life and I know her and Keith will be amazing parents. I can't wait to meet their little bundle of joy in April.

Colleen, I can't tell you how much our friendship means to me. Thank you for being the best friend a girl could ask for. I love you dearly.  I hope you have a fabulous day and I wish I was there to celebrate with you! Can't wait to see you for your shower.

P.S. Mason says HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNTIE COLLEEN!!! And.................GO DUKE!!! His present to you was a DUKE WIN over unc.

WE LOVE YOU COLLEEN!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Wordless Wednesday: Laundry Helper?