Baby Paxton is on her way (and NO she does NOT live in my belly)!

Last weekend I went to a baby shower for my aunt! The same person who threw my shower for Cliff hosted my aunt's shower too! Let me tell you, Barbara can make some yummy treats! She is soo much fun and really enjoys throwing a party!

Here is the Mommy to be:

Isn't she too cute?!

Here are some of the yummy treats:

These cute petifores were sooo good!

These cucumber sandwiches are my FAVORITE! (after my Baby Shower for Cliff, I made these and ate them all the time!)

Here is the Cucumber Sandwich recipe:

Take whole wheat bread, spread on some cream cheese, put a slice of cucumber on top and sprinkle with some dill! It is so easy and is a total crowd pleaser! Try it!

This fruit dip was sooo good. I seriously think I ate half of this bowl!

These little spinach artichoke rolls were awesome and the carrots added the perfect crunch!

We played this funny game. Here is the list of candy that everyone could choose from. Barbara would say a sentence with a blank in it and we would fill in the blank with a type of candy! It really is funny! An example was: "When Paxton is born we all hope the doctor does not have _______!" and the answer was Butter Fingers! It really was too cute!

But that's not all! Barbara had E-V-E-R-Y type of candy on the list and the first person who shouted out the correct answer got the candy!

We all were acting like a bunch of little kids after the pinata has been busted open at a birthday party! A little friendly competition makes for a blast! See. Here is my cousin who was soo excited about winning the whoppers!

Needless to say the baby shower was great! Everyone had a wonderful time! We can't wait to meet baby Paxton!

Tomorrow I will be sharing a little tutorial with all of you!

Last Days of Summer!

Yesterday we went to the lake after Church! The weather was PERFECT. There was a slight breeze and the sun peeked through the clouds at just the perfect times. Cliff and Harper were great considering the fact that the both missed their naps. They love to be outside! Being on the water is something that Ross and I both really enjoy. From the looks of it, both Cliff and Harper love it too! Here is what we did:

Cliff sat on the edge of the water and threw sand....

while Harper continuously ate fistfuls of sand....

....Did I mention she now has seven teeth?! Yes, s-e-v-e-n!

Cliff ate Teddy Grahams for his snack (aren't those little hands too cute?!)

Harper sat beside Cliff and wished she could eat Teddy Grahams too... (I kept telling her "It won't be long sweet Harper!")

Ross and Cliff swam for what seemed like FOREVER! Cliff is a little fish and does not want to get out of the water! Ross and I did not mind because he was kicking him legs to swim, sneaking in a little physical therapy ;) !

Cliff and Harper enjoyed the shade too! (notice how Cliff is holding onto Harper's bumbo! He is so sweet with her and she adores him! I just love seeing them interact with each other.)

Then we headed home! But that is not the end of the story....

Ross ended up hitting a curb with the trailer and one of the six wheels was literally about to fall off... there are NO pictures of this because that may have been the end of our marriage!... (not really, but needless to say it was not a pretty sight!) Then to make matters worse Harper was screaming in the car (I am sure her tummy did not feel too well after eating all that sand) and then Cliff began to throw up (I forgot to mention that he drank half the lake while he was swimming)! So I was handling the children while Ross is fixing the wheel on the boat trailer! Let me tell you, it was a sight to be seen! By the time Ross and I both got back into the car we just looked at each other and laughed the rest of the way home.

I mean, what else can you do?!

Church + Lake = the PERFECT family day!

Today after Church we are going to the lake! The kids just love it, Ross and I do too! Check back in tomorrow for pictures and stories (I am sure there SOMETHING interesting will happen... it never fails! ha!)

and just a little something to think about...

We love because he first loved us.

1 John 4:19

This is the verse I will be teaching the babies this week! Try it with your family too! It's really neat how they can understand God's word at such an early age!

Happy Sunday!

HEALTHIER Cookies?!?!?

As most of you know, I took Cliff to a Special Needs Nutritionist. For those of you who are just visiting, You can see the eating chart I made for Cliff here. Cliff loves cookies and so I wanted to make some "healthier" cookies for him!

Here is the recipe:


2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Milled Flax Seed
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened - (I know this is not "healthy", but we are also trying to get him to gain weight and this is how!)
3/4 cup Sugar In the Raw (you could use Splenda or Stevia here)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (you could use Brown Splenda)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs (you can substitute a little Milled Flax Seed with water for one egg!)
8 oz Apple Sauce or 1 Banana (you can pretty much add any fruit puree here....play around with it!)
1 1/2 cup Choc Chips
Add in Nuts, Peanut Butter, Etc!


Mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Beat the Butter, Sugar, Brown Sugar and Vanilla Extract until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the dry mixture slowly and mix. Stir in the fruit puree and some choc chips! Bake at 375 for 8-9 minutes. And then out comes....



These delicious cookies:


Yummmmmm!


Cliff was so happy when he woke up from his nap and ate cookies for his snack!




I'd say they are a hit!

Hope you enjoy! Please leave a comment below let me know if you add any fun things to this recipe! I am always looking for new ways to sneak extra nutrients is Cliff''s food!

Enjoy!

Time Out!

Now that Cliff is approaching Three, he is in need if a little Time Out pretty often! If you remember my post about my latest side of the road finds, well there was a little chair. If you need a refresher click here. After wondering "what will this chair become?" The bulb went off in my head and I thought.... hmmmmm... TIME OUT! How Perfect!

So here is our new "Time Out" chair that sits in our hallway:

It's the BEST thing I have EVER put in my house! All I have to do is utter the words "time out" and Cliff straightens up immediately. That thing is powerful!

God does answer prayers!

Cliff has Cerebral Palsy.

The type of CP he has is called Spastic Diplegia.

This type of CP effects his legs, which is why he is has not walked YET.

Cliff was born 9 weeks early and has had to work so hard for things that come "naturally" to most children. But that doesn't get him down! He does therapy 4x a week with a smile on his face (Most of the time. Hey, we ALL have our "days!"). Cliff is by far the hardest working person I have ever met. He has shown me what real "hard work" is. I could not imagine my life without him. Ross and I thank God everyday for blessing us with such an amazing little boy.

Here are some blips of Cliff's journey so far:

Cliff was born 9 weeks early. He fought to live and with God on his side, he won the fight....

and 18 days later Cliff came home! We finally felt like he was ours!

Cliff grew and grew, but he was not meeting his "milestones."

...but that did not stop Cliff from experiencing everything all children enjoy....Ross and I are determined that Cliff will do the things Cliff''s friends are able to do. (we make any accommodation he needs.)

Before we knew it, Cliff was ONE!

Cliff has always worked so hard during therapy. He began therapy at 4 months, before we knew it he had therapy 5x a week.

Cliff always keeps a smile on his face!

... and then he was TWO!

Cliff is loved by soooo many people!

Cliff fights through tears sometimes, but he does not give up!

Cliff's latest accomplishment! Crawling on hands and knees is HUGE for him! He is so proud and we are too!

Cliff working hard to learn how to walk. This child is determined, we are determined. He will walk.

Cliff has been approved for a life changing operation. It is called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy. Dr Park, the best Neurosurgeon in the whole wide world, will go into Cliff's spinal cord and actually cut the nerves causing his spasticity (tightness in his legs). More information about it can be found here. We will be going to St. Louis, MO this November for Cliff's surgery. We are so thankful that by accident I happened to pull up the website above. God really works in mysterious ways! We are hopeful, excited, thrilled, and terrified. Please keep Cliff in your prayers as he has a long road ahead of him. This is just the beginning of a new journey, a better journey, because with this surgery, Cliff will have the ability to walk.

Just a Little Taste

So here is a sneak peak at a new "little something" I am working on!

My coffee table has rocked the "eclectic fabric" look all day and it every time I walked through the den I was super happy! (even though it usually drives me crazy when things are out of place.)

I just loved seeing all the pretty fabric all day!

Isn't it pretty?!

......Be patient! The "Big Reveal" will be soon enough!

Stay Tuned!

Oh yea, and Happy Wednesday!

Today is....

Laundry Day.

I cannot avoid it anymore. It must be done...

That's what I am doing ALLLLLL DAAAAAY LOOOONG.

Boring, I know.

Check In tomorrow for a sneak peak at something I am working on!

What will you be doing today?!

My "New" Blue Chair!

I found this chair on the side of the road:

There was NOTHING wrong with it other than it was looking a little drab.

So I decided to give it some life:

Much Better!

Now it sits proudly in front of our computer!

Sunday

I just love Sunday!

Go to Church and praise God, eat a fabulous lunch and then it's nap time for the babies and I get to be crafty!

Sunday's bring me back to what's important:

God and family

It's the perfect start to the week!

...And just to make you smile:

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday to start off a new week!