D is for Disney

I love surprises and I love anything Disney so Friday night was perfection. Nathan and I surprised the kids and took them to Disney's Rockin' Road Show. That first picture is the face Reagan makes when she's "so, so, so, so, SO excited". She had a ball. Her favorite part was seeing Cinderella. She is Reagan's favorite princess. Reagan even makes up jokes about her. Here's one of her latest:

"Knock. Knock."

"Who's there?"

"Cin."

"Cin who?"

"Cinderella!" (followed by loads of laughter.)

Landon loved seeing Buzz Lightyear and Mickey Mouse.

I loved seeing Tigger go about 50mph up some rope across the stage.

Nathan loved the part when the show ended.

It was a fun family night although we did miss our little man, Connor. He enjoyed a quiet evening at home with the babysitter.

Connor's 6 month stats

We had Connor's 6-month well visit today. Here are the numbers:

Weight: 14 lbs. 13 oz. (9%)

Height: 26 inches (36%)

Head: 43 1/2cm (45%)

The doctor was pleased that he is now on the charts for weight. He's still tiny but he's no longer losing weight so that's good news. His height percentage dropped a ton (he was 89% two months ago) but she wasn't concerned about that. He pooped while we were there and it was as black as tar which is weird and unlike anything I'd ever seen. Fortunately, my doctor's office likes to test poop so I said handed the nurse the loaded diaper and they'll let us know if anything is wrong. I'm not worried because I fed him bananas yesterday for the first time so maybe his body was just reacting to new food.

The doctor asked if I had any questions and I went on and on about how easy Connor is, how he never cries, how he's just a doll, so healthy, blah, blah, blah. She then checked both ears and informed me he has a double ear infection. I asked her if she wanted me to pose for the "Mother of the Year" photo right then or wait until after the appointment.

3 shots and 1 presciption later, we were out of there. It was approaching lunch/naptime so I zoomed to CVS, got pulled over by a cop, sobbed that my baby is sick, got my 1,000th warning (I have some sort of amazing ability to get out of speeding tickets), and received a lecture from my 4-year-old on the dangers of speeding. It was a fun morning.

Circus Day. Check.

I'm the least crafty person I know. I don't sew. I don't buy cute fabric and blog about it. You'll never find me gluing buttons to picture frames or having my children use their hand prints to make wreaths or hearts. I like to leave that kind of thing to Sunday School teachers and A.C. Moore clinics and play dates at other kids' houses.

So, you can imagine my disappointment when I heard the news a month ago that Landon needed to dress up as a circus animal or circus performer for Circus Day at preschool. Of course, Landon and I immediately began searching through his box of dress up clothes for something, ANYTHING, that could pass as a circus creature. We found nothing. Well, that was about a month ago and I never thought one more thing about it.....until less than 24 hours before Circus Day. I walked Landon into school to speak with his teacher about something and she said, "Landon! What are you going to dress up as for Circus Day?" Landon responded, "We haven't even thought about it." Awesome, son. Way to go.

Later that day, I told Landon we had to think of something. "What can we throw together, Landon?" He responded, "But, Mommy! Alexander's mommy is sewing his costume!" After a very rude and loud, "WELL, I DON'T SEW", I was off to A.C. Moore. Praise the Lord for the employees of A.C. Moore (well, except for the part where the lady that helped me, knew me and when I told her I wasn't crafty, she responded, "But you're a first grade teacher!" I held my tongue.) She graciously pointed me to some felt and adhesive paper stuff. And I was on my way. I crafted and I crafted and I crafted as Landon stared and said "cool" about a million times. And the final product was that shirt in the picture. The hat was made at school. The shorts were in his drawer. The green socks are from two soccer seasons ago. And that's as crafty as I get. Circus Day. Check.

Happy Half-Birthday!

Connor woke up at 5:00am to celebrate his 6 month birthday! I strategically chose to post this "diaper only" picture of him that I took this morning. Look at those fat rolls. He did not have those one month ago. He's my skinny little man but is slowly starting to fatten up. I am in love.

6 things I love about Connor Nathan Trevett:

1. the dimple on his left cheek

2. his nose (it's unlike anyone else's in our family)

3. his barely audible laugh

4. his laid back personality

5. the way he smiles at his brother and sister

6. he looks like his daddy

This Morning I Found......

Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

My friend, Merritt, gave me this recipe and I make it all the time. It's super easy and super delicious! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin, unmarinated

1 can whole cranberry sauce

1 bottle Russian salad dressing

1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Place pork in bottom of crock pot. Dump in cranberry sauce, soup, and dressing.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Loving Our Spouses

Nathan went skiing with his best friend from college over the weekend. Although the kids and I spent most of the weekend with my parents, it was still hard. I didn't have my husband to help with the discipline. I didn't have him there to hug before bed. I took all 3 kids to Frankie's Fun Park by myself for a birthday party and about lost my mind. It was hard. Several times throughout the weekend I thought:

"This would be so much easier on ME if Nathan was here!"

Sometimes it's easy to get caught in the trap of thinking we deserve certain things. I often catch myself thinking, "I deserve a night out with the girls because I've been home with the kids all day long" or "I deserve for Nathan to take me out to eat because I cooked the past three nights and I'm tired." I don't deserve those things! I'm a grown up. I should get up every morning and do my job because it's my job, not because I think I deserve a reward for it. I deserve nothing.

We should love our spouses selflessly. We should want them to enjoy their friends, hobbies, and weekends away. Nathan didn't deserve this trip. He's a husband and a father and he has a job and he's a grown up and he gets up each day and does it. But I know what a precious gift this weekend with his dear friend meant to him. I know that a weekend away rejuvenated him. He came home a better father and husband.

Nathan is great at loving me in this way. It's a very rare thing for him to complain about me going out to dinner with my friends or making a shopping trip by myself. He encourages me to get involved in book clubs, go to the gym, and have coffee with a friend. And here's the best part....when I get home, he asks me all about what I did. He doesn't tell me how hard it was for HIM. He doesn't gripe if things didn't go well with the kids. He doesn't throw them in my lap with an attitude of "Finally! You're home! It's your turn with them!" He loves me.

I'm learning more and more how to purposefully, actively, selflessly love Nathan. It's no cake walk. It calls for sacrifice. It sometimes means giving up things that would make my life easier. But I'm choosing to honor, encourage, and support him because he's my man. And I love him.

Always be prepared......

...because you never know when it might snow while you're swimming in your high heels.

Crock Pot Barbecue Recipe

I posted a recipe last Wednesday and, since I'm all for traditions that produce goodness, I'm posting another one today and I'll continue posting recipes each Wednesday until I'm all out. If you've ever eaten at my house you've eaten this. It's almost all that I cook when company comes over, especially lots of people. For the first 23 years of my life I called this "Hash". My grandmother (this is her recipe) calls it hash. Anyone that lives in Boiling Springs, SC calls it hash. But then I moved to Columbia, SC, got married, and learned that in Columbia (and probably the rest of the world) it's called "Barbecue".

Whatever you decide to call it, it will be delicious.

Ingredients:

4 lbs. stew meat

2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. garlic powder or 1 tsp. garlic salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. cloves

2 chopped onions

1/2 c. vinegar (I use apple cidar vinegar b/c that's what my grandmother uses and I do exactly what she does.)

1/4 c. brown sugar

black pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Put in crock pot and cook on low 10-12 hours.

About 1 hour before it's finished, take off some of the liquid and mash with a potato masher. You can serve with chili sauce. Our family eats ours in hamburger buns. We eat it nestled next to baked beans, potato salad, and chips with french onion dip.

We Play With Our Food

Lunch with kids is fun. Never a dull moment. I love their before and after expressions.

Date Night

Gervais and Vine for dinner.

Nonnah's for dessert.

Oh.my.word.

Delicious.

Best Valentine's Date Ever!

Hooray for Snow!

Loving and Knowing My Child

On Tuesday, I went to Landon's preschool class for Muffins with Mom. Nathan went last week for Doughnuts with Dad. I really wish "Mommy" started with the letter "D", although my blueberry muffin was quite tasty!

Landon wakes up each morning excited to go to school because of two simple reasons:

1. His teacher loves him.

2. His teacher knows him.

I am in the process of registering Landon for kindergarten. I plan on including a letter requesting certain qualities I would like to see in his teacher. I want Landon to have loads of time to read real books each day. I want him to have opportunities to talk, respond, reflect, and question. I want him to have choice. I want him to experience meaningful, purposeful teaching and learning. I want him to laugh. I want him to feel safe. I want him to sing. I want his love for learning to grow. I want his strengths to be appreciated. Translation: I want him to be known and loved. When a teacher knows and loves her students it is evident in every single thing she chooses to do from beginning to end. That is my hope for my son.

Yummy!

I am sure most of you have heard what an incredible chef I am. Good news travels quickly. We frequently get knocks on our door around 6pm from neighbors asking what I've cooked up this time. This ability that I have comes naturally and easily to me, although I was raised in a home where my mom could cook a tasty pot of Velveeta Shells 'n Cheese. That picture to the left- That's my two year old daughter, Reagan. That is the face she makes each evening as she devours the food I've prepared.

However, because I am the Martha Stewart of the Carolinas, my friends often get jealous. So, lately, I've tried to live a more simple cooking life. I found a very easy and yummy recipe last week and 5 out of 5 people that I interviewed said it was delicious!

Mexican Cheese Soup

1 lb. processed cheese, cubed

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained

1 can whole kernel corn, undrained

1 can kidney beans, undrained

1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained

1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 envelope taco seasoning

Throw all of that goodness into your crockpot (coat inside with cooking spray first) and cook on Low for 4-5 hours. Enjoy! (My family added a few crushed tortilla chips and a dollop of Daisy.)

Baby Evie

In the 8th grade, I met my best friend, Heather. In the 18 years that we've known each other, we have shared countless bowls of cereal, Spaghetti O's, and cheese/crackers. :) We made it through high school together. We roomed together for four years in college. We cheered each other on through graduate school, becoming engaged to our future spouses, and walking down the aisle. We were each other's Maids of Honor. And now, we are each other's cheerleaders as we each figure out how to raise children. In many ways, Heather is like my sister.

For 18 years I have known how to make her laugh. I've known what to say to make her feel better.

Recently, I have found myself not knowing what to do or say. I only know to pray. And to pray hard for my best friend. Heather is 22 weeks pregnant. 2 weeks ago she found out her sweet baby girl Evie has a heart defect. It's called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and will require a number of heart surgeries. She will be born at MUSC in Charleston, SC and will have her first surgery a few days after her birth. Please pray for Evie. Pray for Heather and her husband, Kevin. Pray for their two other children, Harlan and Katie Hays. There will be many unknowns over the next several months and years for this sweet family. I will keep you updated as Evie comes closer to being born. But for now, please pray that she would survive her first heart surgery and that Heather, Kevin, and their entire family will experience peace and the love of Christ.

My First Ever Blog Post!

Here I go. After years of reading blogs and always saying I would only be the reader, never the writer, of blogs I've caved. My intention is to mainly write about my four favorite people in the world, Nathan, Landon, Reagan, and Connor. However, every now and then, this blog may also serve as a landing pad for my thoughts on teaching, questions I'm pondering, and books I'm reading. I hope you enjoy reading "Table For 5, Please."