4 Months

Sawyer Beth is 4 months old!

She was feeling a little bit under the weather following her 4 month shots so we didn't get too many smiles out of her.  At four months old she weighed 11 pounds 14 oz (18th%), measured 24.25 inches in length (54th%) and her head is 16 inches (44th%) - its grown 3 inches since she was born!

She is so cooperative with my obsessive picture taking!

She is still wearing size 1 diapers, size 0-3 month and 3 month clothes, but we are getting closer to moving up every day - I can't believe how quickly she is growing.

Sawyer's fourth month was full of firsts!  She is a great companion and makes is much easier to maintain our busy lives...she never complains and is easy going as ever.

Her first baseball game...

Her first softball game...

Her first football practice...

Her first track meet...

Her and Cora were such troopers and did a great job cheering on Aunt Brie!  

Sawyer met Sophie this month...don't be fooled by the terrified look on her face...she loves her.

She got to hang out with her friends at church...

Caroline, Sawyer, Beckham, Leighton

And she went to her first wedding...

With the Bride - Kristi - might have been a little bit past her bedtime at this point...

Sawyer & the Groom - Aaron

Thanks to both sets of grandparents for helping out with Sawyer, we had a great time at the wedding and spent our first night away from her.  We missed her tons, but it also nice to have a night to hang out together with friends.

Sawyer is a great eater, she has started to try to feed herself in the last couple of weeks and will often grab the sides of her bottle of our hands, but is still more than happy to hang out like a little monkey and be fed.

She laughs all the time now - it is the sweetest sound ever!!  She thinks "flying" is hysterical 

She has figured out that she can roll over onto her side.  She likes to snuggle with blankets, dolls, burp cloths or whatever else is near when she wants to go to sleep.  She has rolled over onto her belly a couple times on the bed and is super close on the floor.  But, once she gets onto her stomach, she gets really mad about it so we have to help her back over.

(I feel like I should clarify that we don't let her sleep with this stuff if we aren't watching.)  She grabs for anything and everything within reach, which then goes into her mouth - her play mat is way more fun now!

We are still working on the Lori/Sawyer relationship, but they are warming up to each other.  Sawyer now watches Lori when she is running around like a maniac in the back yard and Lori doesn't turn her nose up every time Sawyer is near - baby steps!

The biggest change of all this month is that Sawyer now goes to school.  It was REALLY hard on me the first couple of days.  I realize that it is never going to be easy to leave her but I love her school and her teachers, so, I am ok with it.  I feel very blessed to have a job that I absolutely love and that makes it easier as well.  Plus, they send home these sweet reports every day...this was from her first day.

And they do art projects, so I now have something to hang on my fridge!

It has been quite a busy month, but - as cheesy as it sounds - Sawyer makes it all more fun!  

I love my little family!!

PS...could Barry & Sawyer look any more alike?!?  So unfair.

Spring Break 2012

I am so behind on my blogging - but, in my defense (major excuse) our internet at home hardly works - to be fixed tomorrow - FINALLY!

So, I am playing catch up today.  Sawyer had quite an eventful spring break this year.  We spent the first weekend in Yoakum hanging with family.

We had a really nice low-key weekend of nothing!  Then on Monday, Sawyer's Grandma, Aunts Tammy& Cara & her cousins, Brody & Blake came down to Houston to go to the zoo - we were all really impressed with the Houston zoo and had another fun day hanging out.

Tuesday night my Mom & Mimi came down to Houston to hang out with Sawyer because I still had to work.  Sawyer got to do a lot of relaxing!

Thursday was Cora's first birthday!  Becky and Michael planned to bring her down and take her to the Children's Museum that night - but the rest of Houston had the same plans.  So, we walked around the Houston Garden Center and Herman Park instead.

Then Sunday was Cora's First Fiesta!

She is way into clapping!

We had a really nice week - got to see a lot of family and spend a lot of time together.  Too bad Spring Break only comes around once a year.

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Hello there!

Long time, no blog!  We are having major internet issues at home and work is crazy...and I have a baby.  A super cute one if I do say so myself =)

But, I have a really good recipe to share today.  Thank you Pinterest, I found this here and changed it up just a bit.  I realize its getting a little warm for soup, but its never to warm for easy!

You will need the following:

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (rinsing = less sodium)
1 can diced tomatoes, no salt added
10 oz frozen corn (use frozen instead of canned for less sodium)
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped (doesn't matter what color, I had a green one so that's what I used)
10 oz can of enchilada sauce
1 can Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup
1 1/2 cups skim milk
5-6 frozen chicken breast strips (or 2-3 frozen chicken breasts)


After your onion and green pepper are chopped, combine them with the beans, tomatoes and corn in a slow cooker liner in your crock pot.

Place frozen chicken on top of veggies.

In a mixing bowl, combine enchilada sauce and cream of chicken soup.

Mix in milk until smooth.

Pour mixture into crock pot.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.  Shred chicken (I just do it while it is still in the crock pot...its pretty tender so it just falls apart).

Top with low fat shredded cheese or sour cream, or better yet - avocado slices for some added healthy fats!

ENJOY!

3 Months

Here she is...3 months old!!

She is getting so big!

She is doing really well with holding her head up, and loves to sit up...with us holding her of course.

She is such a happy, easy going baby - we are very blessed and very thankful for that...but she has her moments!  Usually just when she is hungry (she is not shy about that) or when she is really tired.  Or, when I make her sit in this chair and take pictures for longer than she wants to...

One of the biggest changes in Sawyer's life this month is that I went back to work.  But, I am VERY fortunate to have a job that I can take her with me.  I have been taking her to work a few days a week.

She doesn't really hold her bottle on her own, I put her hands there and she stayed there for a minute or so...long enough to snap a picture!  She is so good at work, she hangs out on her play mat and smiles for everyone when they come in my office...

She has also gone to work with Barry a few times.

And has spent a lot of quality time with her grandmas on the other days - which we are also very thankful for!  When she is at home, she still loves to hang out on her play mat...

And take lots of naps...anywhere and every where.

The other major change in Sawyer's life this month...she sleeps through the night!!  Right around 9 weeks she did it a couple times...then stopped.  She started again at 11 weeks and hasn't looked back...its AMAZING!  She is amazing.

She goes to bed around 8 every night and sleeps till about 6.  Lucky for Barry, she got her sleeping habits from me =)

But they still take their share of naps together...such a daddy's girl already.

As much as Barry and I love having Sawyer around and have pretty much adjusted to being a family of 3, I cannot say the same for Lori.  She is in serious denial that there is a new person in the house!  She doesn't pay much attention to Sawyer, a few sniffs here and there.  But otherwise, Lori pretends to not even see her!

Another highlight from the last month...first Valentine's Day...

And just some other pictures of this sweet smile I can't get enough of!

It's hard to believe that she has gone from this at the beginning of February...

To this now...

That's her serious face.  She has moved up to size one diapers and is now in all 0-3 and 3 month clothes.  My baby isn't a new born anymore!  She has recently discovered that she can blow bubbles and is constantly doing that, and talking.  She is starting to discover her voice more and more and makes all sorts of crazy noises - she has earned herself the nickname of Squeaker because she sounds like a little mouse.  She is soooo close to laughing...I can't wait!  Right now its more of a gasp with a huge smile on her face.

The other AWESOME thing that happened is Sawyer's life is that her Aunt Brie got accepted into A&M...we are sooo proud!!

Sawyer is more and more fun with every day and I can't possible imagine loving her more than I do right now.  My favorite part of the day is going to get her out of her bed in the morning and seeing her smile at me.  She wakes up in a good mood usually - unlike her mother.  I'm working on it.  Kinda.

One more picture, just because I like it...

We love you Squeaks!!