SURPRISE...not!

Time is honestly flying by!  I was certain it had only been a few days since my last post, but it has been over a week!  Life has been hectic lately.  Filled with all kinds of things from play dates to family time.  I have been getting tons of photography jobs, and been a little busy with my new adventure as a Thirty-One consultant.  Today is play date day at my house, so I can't stay long just wanted to pop in and post a little somethin' before I forgot my password to Blogger!

I saw this on Pinterest today and it made me laugh, because this describes me to a T! I adore surprises, or at least I think I do... until I am surprised.  Then I feel unprepared and not ready for the "surprise".   I actually didn't realize this about myself until the other day when my husband told me that on September 22nd we would be going on a date and all I needed to know was to be ready at 6 sharp.  Then 1000 questions and concerns flooded my brain.  Who is watching Cayden?  What should I wear?  Do I need to cook dinner, or are we going out?  What time will we be done?  What is he wearing?  Should I pack Cayden an over night bag- or just a few items for an evening?  Are other people going?  You get the point.
I can't help it.  I am a planner, with a touch of OCD.  I think becoming a mom has made this even more extreme.   I wish I could be carefree and just go with the flow sometimes... but that's not me.  I like to have a plan.  I like to be prepared.  I think it's amazing when you have these "epiphanies" about yourself.  For all these years I thought I loved being surprised... but the truth is I am too much of a control freak to enjoy being whisked away for a romantic evening.  So when people ask me if I like being surprised... I suppose my answer will now be "yes, as long as they are carefully planned..."

Hope everyone is having an awesome Monday! 

Whitney

Summertime and the livin' is easy easy...

Although in Florida summer is here 9 months out of the year, the sale of school supplies and crazy-ness of the mall is definitely the sign that summer is coming to an end.   Which makes me a little sad.   I don't even have a school age child, so nothing about our life really changes, but there is something about all the kids being out of school and it officially being "SUMMER" that makes me feel relaxed.  Like it's "summertime and the livin' is easy" is our official soundtrack these days.   

So to celebrate the nearing end of summer, we are going to play in the sandbox, bust out the kiddie pool, and be refreshed by some delicious popsicles today! Of course... we will probably be doing this exact same thing in November.

Happy Summer, friends! 

Whitney

What I love Wednesday!

YAY! It's Wednesday! Check out a few of things that I am absolutely LOVING this week! 

Ladies and Magenta-men nail polish by OPI! On Sunday I snuck away to this little nail salon by my house while the boys took a nap!  It was one of those days that I was feeling kinda blah, so I thought maybe a burst of color would do the trick.  It totally did!  I sat there and read my book {The Help} while  sweet little Cindy painted my toes and fingers this amazing fun color! 

With Cayden in swim lessons every morning at 9am, we have to be out of the house by 8:20 to get there! This leave no time to sit and enjoy a hot cup of coffee {or 5}. Plus it's like 100 degrees outside by 8am so I have not been into my usual cup of joe from my Kuerig.  Instead I have invested in these delicious packets from heaven, Starbucks VIA Carmel Iced Coffee.  Seriously, they are the PERFECT jump start I need while fighting morning traffic to swim lessons! 

 Okay, we all have them {or at least I hope so that I don't embarrass myself with this one...} cheesy, mindless TV shows that we are addicted to.  Seriously the first two come on ABC Family and are made for pre-teens/teenagers {although I would NEVER allow my teen to watch them} I am addicted.  They require no thinking, and I can completely zone out.  They are all on my DVR and perfect for the late nights that I can't sleep, or I am trying to stay awake to see my hubby at 2am.  Am I the ONLY one who watches these?  I hope not...

On Tuesday a few of my stay at home mom friends from church met up at Broadway Gymnastics for an open gym play date! Oh what fun! It was only 5 bucks and it wore Cayden out! We went right after swim lessons so by the time I got him strapped in his car-seat to head home he was passed out!  If you live in the Oviedo area, I definitely recommend this.  They will be having open gym for preschoolers (and younger) every Thursday from 9:30-11:30 for 5.00 a child! So fun! :)

There are plenty more things that I am loving this week... but I'll end it here.  What are you loving this week?  I'd love to hear! I am always looking for new things to try and LOVE myself!

Have a great day, ya'll! 

Whitney

I heart faces: Beautiful eyes

How could NOT enter my little boy and his big brown eyes?!  Those eyes are sure to win!  Right?!!


Check out iheartfaces.com to see more beautiful eyes!

click me! 

Pizza+Pool=Perfect Friday Evening

               

This makes me smile and is truer than true :)  

I am loving today! After swim lessons we made a trip to Michaels to hunt for some supplies for Cayden's Pirate Birthday party.  I am making my own invitations and decor.  I must admit I am pretty excited about this!  I can't wait to get going!  I know he won't remember anything about this birthday... but I know it is one that Jeff and I will never forget.  How could we not go all out? I will definitely be posting more about this totally awesome Pirate Birthday more! 

Cayden's Mimi and Pops are out of town this weekend, so we are thinking we may head over and swim!  This is Jeff's last day of his amazing day-shift schedule, then it's back to working midnights.  So I think we should end this week with some fun family time!   What could be better than pizza and the pool?   

Well, TGIF everyone! Cayden is finally down for a nap... and I am hoping to get all the dishes and laundry done before he wakes.  Maybe even sneak in a chapter or tow of my book! {The Help}

Have a wonderful Friday, ya'll! 

Whitney

If I had a million dollars

I need to go shopping...

and I am loving outfits like this...

I also want to buy Cayden this...

Now, if only I had one of these...

or may just a million dollars.

Today was a great day.   It was very rainy all day, but I was able to get so much done!  I love days that I go to bed feeling productive.  I still have things left on my "to-do" list... but at least I made a dent! :)  Besides, I can't be too productive, because then I wouldn't have any time left for me and Cayden to play ball, or do silly dances, or play peek-a-boo or read all the books in his book crate! So although I am so glad I was productive today, I am even more happy for the time I spent playing with Cayden inside on this yucky, rainy day.

Goodnight Friends, 

Whitney

Fresh Prints!

For those of you who are out of the loop... there is more to me than my life as a mom.  I am a photographer.  It is one of my other hats.  I am a mommy, a wife, a photographer, a Thirty-One consultant, a blogger, and member of MOPS.  My husband says my plate is "getting full", but I love it!  I enjoy being busy.  Now that I am a stay at home mom I am actually able to do things that I LOVE to do!  The best part is, I make my own schedule.  Cayden still gets 100 percent of my attention and everything else fits in the cracks.  I love all my jobs!
Photography has to be my favorite (other than being Cayden's mom and Jeff's wife) it give me the chance to be me, to get creative, and to have something else in my life that is just mine.

Check out my website at FreshPrintsPhotography.com and spread the word about my upcoming mini-sessions!  It is a deal that is seriously hard to beat!

Goodnight kisses...

In case I have not expressed this enough... I adore Pinterest!  While wasting time this evening and browsing around I came across this....

This is exactly how I hope Cayden lives his childhood.   I want him to have the happiest and most care-free childhood.  I hope it is full of amazing memories and he always knows how much he is loved.  I want him to be a boy, but also have manners.  I want him to always  have fun, but know responsibility.  I want him to be kind, and caring.  I hope that he always speaks his mind and stands up for what is right.  I pray he is always safe, and yet continues to explore.  I hope he has a big imagination and a love for adventure.  I hope he enjoys his childhood, because it definitely goes by too fast!

Tonight as we were reading our bedtime books I couldn't help but just take in the moment.  It was too sweet not to.  Here I was sitting in the rocking chair in his room, reading him favorite bedtime book {The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boyton} and after every page he would look up at me and grin.  When the book was over,  I picked him up to face me so I could say goodnight when he leaned in and gave me the cutest, sweetest, wettest kiss on my cheek.   

I kissed him back and put him in his crib.   While I was turning on his night light I couldn't help but feel like the luckiest mom.   I hope he knows how happy he makes me and how precious these moments are to me.  

I see things like this sign and it reminds me of all the things I want him to grow up knowing.  I adore being his mom and I am so thankful for the sweet little moments like we had this evening. 

Love, 

Whitney

Sunday Supper

As everyone knows I love Sundays!  They are usually slower paced and easy going.  I love that they are filled with family and heart warming laughter.  

This Sunday was more like a Saturday!  We were so busy!  Not that it was a bad thing, I just happened to be swamped with photo sessions this weekend.  

We met our friends, Lisa and Vince at this yummy burger bar in Orlando, Graffiti Junktion.  By the time we got home it only left an hour before I had to be in Apopka for a photo shoot for the Haus of Hollie Online Boutique.  So needless to say we had a great, but busy day!  We ended up eating dinner away from home, so there was no cooking Sunday Supper, but I wanted to share some yummy recipes anyways! 

I know that these are better for a blustery fall or winter evening, but these two recipes are some of my favorite comfort foods.  In Florida we have lots and lots of rainy evenings which can end up leaving us stuck inside for a whole day!  Days like that we rarely get out of our PJ's and are spent watching movies and playing on the floor with our favorite little boy.  For dinner on rainy nights we like to make soup.  It is just so cozy and fits the mood!  So here is one of my favorite soup recipes!  

My aunt usually makes this soup for me, and she gave me the recipe a while ago, but I can't seem to find it.  So I saw this on a blog and it sounded pretty darn close! 

White Chicken Chili

1 large onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup flour
2 cubes of butter
4 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
4 cans white beans (navy, great northern, or garbanzo), drained and rinsed
2-3 (4 oz) cans chopped green chilies
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and sliced into small pieces
2 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1-2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1-2 tsp. of chili powder (depending how spicy you want it)
1 tsp. cumin
1 cup sour cream (optional)

Cook onion and garlic in a couple tablespoons of butter until soft, not brown. Set aside. Make a roux by melting the 2 cubes of butter and whisking the 1/2 cup of flour in. Boil for 3 minutes stirring constantly. Add the onion and garlic to the roux.

Add the half and half and chicken broth. Simmer 3 minutes or until thick.

Pour mixture into a crockpot then add the white beans, chilies, chicken, cheese, Tabasco sauce, chili powder, and cumin.
Simmer 20 minutes. Right before serving add salt and pepper to taste and sour cream (optional). Garnish with cilantro.

And because there is ALWAYS room for dessert...

Found recipe on this blog!

Pumpkin Cake
One Cake mix- I used yellow
1 -15 ounce can 100% pumpkin- puree, not pumpkin pie filling

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl mix cake mix with pumpkin filling using a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour batter into a greased 7 x 11 inch baking dish. Bake for 28 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. Serves 8.


Apple Cider Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. apple cider
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice

In a small bowl blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour over Pumpkin Cake letting it drizzle down the sides of the cake. Let set before covering.


Seriously, how easy is that cake! I have yet to make it, but I am going to this week! It's like a total of 5 ingredients! I have all of them too! Except I think I am going to use Spice Cake Mix instead of the yellow cake mix. {I'll let you know how it tastes!}


Hope everyone had a super Sunday! Since I didn't get to make our Sunday Supper today, I will be making up for it one night this week!

Have a great week, ya'll! 

Whitney

What a week!

What a fun week I got to spend with my little boy!  Since we were both feeling pretty lousy last weekend and the beginning of the week, I tried to end the week with some fun times!  

Thursday...

We set up our umbrella and the baby pool in our back yard.  Since the summers in Florida are ridiculously hot, playing in water is about the only thing to do outside without suffering from heat stroke!  But I wanted to do something even better, so I made finger paint! I found the recipe on this website and put the paint into a muffin tin! I had a big roll of white paper so I tore off a piece and let Cayden go to town (outside of course!) It was so much fun to watch him play in the paint.  Since he is only 9 months, he obviously didn't care about getting the paint on the paper, as he did on himself but it was fun regardless! 

Once he was done (and the grass, Cayden and myself were all shades) into the pool we went.  We spent 45 minutes splashing and playing having so much fun in the summer sun.  

Messy Boy! 

He loved the way it felt on his hands.  He just kept rubbing his fingers together! 

Cayden's Masterpiece! 

Friday...

Friday was a great day!  Jeff got to come with us to swim lessons and Cayden officially mastered his float! It was really great having Jeff there while Cayden hit that milestone.  We were both super proud parents that morning, and of course we had to celebrate with a trip to Target.  We bought Cayden a fun, new toy.  I think we were more excited about it than he was!  That afternoon Jeff had to go to work so Cayden and I met his friend Shayla and her new baby sister Braelyn at Mimi and Pops house to swim!  Shayla and Cayden spend the afternoon floating and splashing together.  It was a lot of fun spending the afternoon with friends.  Cayden was wore out, so we went home for a nap!  Later that evening we went back to visit Mimi and Pops! Cayden had a blast playing with Mollie, their doggie.  We stayed and played all night! Cayden didn't go to bed until 10:30!  But of course he didn't forget to wake up at 6:30 on Saturday morning! 

(my phone died before Mrs. Yvonne was having him float on his own)

Saturday...

This morning Cayden and I had time together while daddy slept in.  Cayden played with his barnyard magnets on the refrigerator while I made eggs and whole-wheat banana pancakes.  We sat and ate, and "talked" and just enjoyed our morning in our PJ's!  I love times like that.  They are simple, and sweet.  Although I love running around and doing fun things, morning times are some of my favorite times with Cayden.   It feels so carefree.  He is so happy and just starts my day out with a smile.  

I really do love my sweet boy.  He is growing up so fast and getting such a funny personality.   I feel so blessed that I get to spend everyday with him, and I get to enjoy every morning being giggly and carefree. 

Cayden was COVERED in eggs and pancakes after breakfast this morning!  Thank goodness for  our doggie, Bailey!

Good Night...

Whitney

What I LOVE Wednesday!

Those first few weeks home from the hospital took some getting used to! Our family of 2 adults and 2 dogs suddenly had one more added to the mix.  One more that required being fed every two hours!  Not to mention rocking back to sleep, then only to lay down and wake up a few minutes later to start the process all over again.   Those were some hard days {and nights} but a few things helped me and my sleep deprived hubby along the way!  So for all my newest mom friends and those expecting be sure to check these things out!

The Baby Connect App- This app is my all time favorite! You can register as many users as you want! So anyone who will be keeping your sweet bundle of joy can download this app and help keep track of your baby!  We used this to monitor diaper changes, breastfeeding, sleeping and milestones! It was great for the first few weeks when your brain is a blur and you can't remember how many hours your baby slept.  It also keeps charts so as your baby gets older, you can review it and see their schedule!  It helped us so much when my parents would watch Cayden.  My mom would update it, so I knew how many ounces he drank or how many diaper changes he had while he was out of my sight.  I loved it! When we had doctors appointments and they would ask me about his feeding/sleeping/and diapers it was all right there!  It is a must have for all moms, dads, babysitter, and grandparents! 

My beloved Keurig comes in next.  I know that you aren't supposed to drink a lot of caffeine when breastfeeding.  This is why this is super handy.  You can make just one cup!  And it's quick!  It's perfect for those sleep deprived daddy's too! It doesn't give the whole house that "coffee" smell that would make any coffee addict need to drink 8 cups! 

Netflix or any mindless show on TV will work.  For some reason the late afternoon feedings were the hardest for me.  I would always want to fall asleep.  By day 3 I realized that I needed something to keep my attention and help me stay awake.  So Netflix was my new best friend.  I would watch usually old Friends re-runs.  I loved it! A plethora of mindless TV and movies to watch! 

Muslin swaddling blankets! These are my all time favorite blankets!  The ones you see below are by Aden and Anais.  These are so soft! And the best part is the more you wash them, the softer they get! They are much bigger than the hospital flannel blankets or the cotton ones you will get as gifts.  Plenty of room to make the perfect swaddle.  Cayden could only sleep if he was swaddled, but he was like freaking Houdini! It wasn't until I found these that I realized all the other blankets were way to small! Seriously these are a must have! 

Express Cami's! I lived in these for at least 2 weeks after Cayden was born.  Now mind you I did have a C-Section so I was going for comfort and the least amount of shuffling when it came to feeding time.  I hated to spend money on stupid "nursing shirts".  Let's be honest, they are not cute.  And after a few months you will never ear them again! So instead of wasting my money on something that will hit the "donate" pile, I went to express and stocked up on these comfy Cami's!  My personal opinion was that these were so much easier than dealing with 2 different clips! You already have to fidget with a bra, why make it more difficult?  This made my whole breastfeeding experience and post baby comfort a lot more enjoyable.

Burt's Bees.  This stuff will most likely make all of my "What I love" lists.  It is my favorite.  I probably have a tube of this in every purse, diaper bag, nightstand, vanity, pocket, refrigerator, and cubby in the house! Let's face it, nine months of carrying a baby will definitely dry your skin out and your lips are no exception.  Which is why Burt and his Bees always are a must! New moms, old moms, not yet moms... no matter who you are, this stuff should be in your bag! 

Well there you have it, a few of the things that I couldn't have lived without those first few weeks post Cayden.  Haha actually, a lot of those things still are my must-haves today! 

Well there is just one more thing that I LOVE this Wednesday...

CAYDEN FLOATED! 

My 9 month old Cayden has been taking swimming lessons through ISR for 2 weeks (This is his 3rd week).   This morning during his lesson, his amazing teacher Mrs. Yvonne let him go and he did it! He stayed a float! I was one proud mommy!  He still has some work to do on his form to make sure he can stay a float... but still he did it! :)  I wanted to do the happy dance, but didn't want to embarrass him {obviously} so this is my way of expressing my extreme happiness for this amazing event!   

I saw this on Pinterest today.  It made me laugh... mostly because it's true.  

-Whitney

Boogies everywhere.

What a crazy few days.  I feel as though I have been MIA from life lately.  A bout of the plague (well, almost- more likely a virus) hit our house on Friday and took over our lives.  For the last four days my life has involved boogie wipes, DayQuil, saline drops, a fussy baby, limited sleep and lots and lots of snot. (Gross, I know)  Luckily, Jeff did not catch this horrible virus and was able to help out with Cayden when he wasn't working.  We (Cayden and Myself) are much better today.  Thank goodness!  Nothing like a mom and baby sick at the same time.  You can imagine the amount of laundry to be folded, floors to be mopped, and things to disinfect.  So that's how my sunny Tuesday will be spent; catching up on life, cleaning, and laundry.   Even though that warm summer sun and cool pool water are definitely calling my name... Today is cleaning day.  :)

Happy Tuesday, Ya'll! 

Whitney