Nothing Sweeter...

There's just nothing sweeter than an adorable, sleeping baby!

Yummy Fruit Fudge Pie!

I love to check out friends' blogs, and recently our friend Melody had a recipe for banana fudge pie on her blog. I couldn't wait to try it out, and a Memorial Day get together seemed like the perfect time!

I made a couple minor changes, only out of necessity. For one, I didn't think I had enough Cool Whip, so I made my own from scratch! (Super easy concoction of heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla.) Also, we're fruit lovers, so I added strawberries for taste and looks. Next time, I think I'll try other fruits out, too! (Still contemplating adding some chocolate drizzle...)

Can't wait to dig in!

Banana Fudge Pie recipe from Melody's Blog:
1 pie crust
3/4 c. chocolate chips
1 (8 oz.) Cool Whip
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. sugar
3 bananas

In small pan on stove top, melt chips slowly,turn off heat and add eggs, sugar and stir. Add 1 cup of the Cool Whip and mix well. Pour into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees until top springs back or toothpick comes out clean (about 20 to 25 minutes). Cool pie, then add bananas (sliced) and Cool Whip. Keep refrigerated. I typically top with mini chips and a few more bananas too.

I went back later and added a dark chocolate drizzle! So, so yummy!

Some of My Favorites

I'm sure all moms' lists of favorite products, projects, etc. keeps growing and growing. I know mine does! I thought I'd share just a few of my most recent favorites.

Macey LOVES yogurt. She could eat it at every meal! We love YoBaby and Kroger's brand The Truly Awesome yogurt (that's really what it's called...):

Although I'm not too incredibly strict on foods, I do try to find healthier options in everything we eat. I like these brands because they don't include dyes, the fruit is organic and the sugar content is much lower than other yogurts. Sometimes for breakfast, I'll cut up fresh fruit and add it on top, making it extra special!

Johnson & Johnson Bedtime Lotion:

Now I really have no clue if this helps Easton sleep better or not, but I love the way it smells on his sweet little self when we get him ready for bed each night!

Curious George!

Macey's not a huge TV fan; she'd much rather be outside. She's obsessed with the outdoors, which really is a good thing (except for the fact that it is dang HOT in Memphis already). However, if she's going to watch something on TV, it's definitely George!

And of course, the best invention ever...the Bumbo!

Anytime a first-time mom asks me what she should register for, I always recommend the Bumbo. In our house, we use it A LOT! When Macey was a baby, she loved to see everything going on around her, and Easton's the same way. When we're eating dinner, we set Easton right there with us in his seat, and he often hangs out with me when I'm working in the kitchen. We are big fans of this product!

My newest addition...this Baby Trend double jogging stroller:

I really wanted a side-by-side jogger, as I knew Macey would want to be right next to her baby brother. So far, we are very pleased with this one! The seats are independent of each other, so I can lay Easton back and have Macey sitting as straight up as she'd like. It's also got an added bonus of an iPod plug-in so the babies can listen to music while we're strolling along! One drawback I see so far is that storage system below the seats has a divider, so it's really two separate storage areas, which would be a problem if you were hoping to store something larger...maybe on a shopping trip or something.

Funny Story

You see the darling picture below? I entered that in a Gerber photo contest and it was denied entry because was deemed inappropriate, haha. There was a lengthy legal reason, but to sum it up...we got rejected because he's topless. :-) Too funny! Don't worry, I submitted another, less risque photo, and I'm sure we'll get the call from Gerber asking him to be their model any day now.

Not a whole lot to report, just the usual. Both kiddos are getting way too big way too quickly! Easton still shows no interest in rolling over, but he is suddenly very interested in his feet! When he grabs his feet and pulls them up to his head, he rolls and bobs around, but never all the way over. When we lay him on his belly, he just looks around the room for as long as you leave him there! I have a feeling that once he finally rolls over, he'll go straight to rolling all over the place!

We conquered the pacifier battle with Macey girl! Actually (thankfully) it was no battle at all. Macey loves her "pa-pa," but I began thinking maybe it was time to cut back, so we decided to start leaving it in her crib and told her it was only for night night. Other than her asking "Where pa-pa?" a few times the first day, she really hasn't cared too much! I was worried about that issue for weeks for really no reason at all. Next battle(s)...potty training or switching her to a toddler bed. Not sure when we'll start either, but it'll most likely be sooner than later.

Easton loves Elmer the Elephant!

Happy, happy boy!

Loving on her babies!

Saying, "Cheeeeeese!"

Daddy and his little lookalike!

At first this was a smile, but it turned into this funny face when I took the picture!

Brother and sister!

Happy 3-month birthday, Easton!

Our sweet boy is getting way too big, way too quickly. I'm not sure why, but 3 months has always seemed like a big milestone in a baby's little life, and we've already reached it! Easton's weighing in at about 14 pounds now, but we won't have a official weight/length until his check-up next month. He's busting out of 3 months size clothes, so we'll be moving on up very soon.

He was quickly over this photo shoot...

By this point, he just looked plain mad!

For the Grandparents

This video may only be interesting and adorable to grandparents and really close friends. It's about a minute of Easton just hanging out during "tummy time," but he's just so sweet I had to share!

Oh, and here's a Macey story for the day. She has recently started helping me get Easton ready for bed, and she especially loves to put lotion on his belly. As most toddlers do, she'll mimic exactly what I do then follow suit. Before I got lotion on my hands, I was smoothing out his little hair...which Macey girl apparently thought was a good idea. As soon as she got lotion on her hands, she started rubbing it all over his hair. Needless to say, that night Easton's hair was extra shiny!

Dead Camera, Baby Weight and Exercise, Oh My!

First of all, I have to apologize that there are no new pictures. Our camera died! Literally, just bit the dust and won't even turn on. I'm trying to do some research to find a good, reliable camera that won't cost me too much. Until then, no photos. My goal is to have on by May 17, a.k.a...Easton's THREE MONTH birthday because of course I have to take his monthly photo!

Baby weight. Yuck. Fortunately I have two things on my side this time around. I didn't gain as much weight while I was pregnant with Easton, and I'm feeling much more motivated to drop the weight this time around. After having Macey, my weight loss attitude was much more, "I'll get around to that later..." However, I've been making little changes here and there ever since Easton was born. I'm very proud to say that I've lost nearly 40 pounds since the day I had Easton. I have a lot more I want to get rid of!

I've recently started Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred DVD, and it's tough! I'm seeing results already, but I've got a long way to go. My next goal is to find a gently used double jogging stroller that I can find on the cheap so I can take the kids for walks/runs/jogs. Our double stroller is definitely more suited for trips to the store or relaxing walks to the park, not exercise.

I've also been trying to cook differently...just small changes because I am far from being a foodie or a health nut, although it wouldn't hurt to be a little more of a health nut! It's important to me that Macey and Easton see Greg and I as active parents, and I really want them to be well-rounded eaters. So far, Macey is a great little eater! Last night's dinner consisted of baked salmon, brown rice and corn on the cob...she ate every bit! The benefits of planing my weekly meals not only include less stress about meals, but I also choose some healthier options when I plan ahead to include veggies!

Feel free to share some easy, healthy meals because I'm always on the lookout for new ideas!

Girls Do Love Shoes

Dance, Dance, Dance!

She makes me laugh every single day!

Conference Calls Are Tough These Days

For now, I'm very fortunate to work from home most of the week so I can be here with Easton before he starts going with Macey to our babysitter's house. But today was filled with three conference calls, and this little fella made it tough to concentrate sometimes. Thank goodness for mute buttons on the phone so I could keep his giggles and babble all to myself! If you hold out toward the end (it's a pretty short video) you'll get some BIG smiles!

P.S. Yes, our little boy plays with lots of his big sister's old toys...like the bright pink playmat with pretty butterflies and flowers, haha.

TRUTH

Last week, tornadoes brought havoc and devastation to several southeastern states. We've seen countless images of demolished homes and families crying over lost loved ones, and we've heard so many stories of absolute heartbreak. Thankfully, we've also seen uplifting footage of friends helping friends, strangers helping strangers and communities working together to rebuild.

Yesterday I heard an amazing story that I had to share from a friend who lives in Alabama. A local doctor who has treated many of the injured in an Alabama hospital told her about a special little 3-year-old boy who was found four days after the tornadoes ripped through his home. He was in a cooler, alive and well. When they asked who put him in the cooler, he said, "The man with the wings." Chills? Me too.

As someone said on my Facebook status about this story, God is DEFINITELY still in the miracle business.