My little lovies

I captured this picture yesterday and can't quit looking at it. I love the look of complete love and adoration on Brianna's face as she's feeding Garrett and the way he's looking up at her with such sweetness. It's candid moments like this that I treasure and why I almost always have my phone in my pocket. I don't want to miss a moment!

I was also looking back over the blog from when Brianna was Garrett's age and realized how much I had forgotten about daily life with her and the little things she did. So, I've decided it's time to start blogging again, if for no other reason than so I'll have a memory book of sorts for when they are grown and my mind has forgotten the details of this time. Because lets face it, having two kids has given me many wonderful things, but gray hair and a somewhat spotty memory are two of the lesser "gifts" of motherhood!

Welcome Garrett Xavier!

Birthdate: May 3, 2012
Time: 8:36pm
Weight: 7lbs 15oz
Length: 20 inches

We're all doing well and at home now. He's eating and sleeping well and getting completely spoiled by mommy, daddy and big sister! We are all three completely smitten!

Tanyard Creek Nature Trail

One of the reasons we were excited about the move to Bentonville was the fact we would be surrounded by beautiful nature trails, creeks and hiking paths literally minutes from the house.  This morning, we decided we'd go for a hike and check out Tanyard Creek Nature Trail, which has a small waterfall at the end of the trail and lots of places to enjoy the scenery.  Plus, its only a 2 mile trail and has little elevation change, which is good for me given that I'm almost 33 weeks pregnant and not up for any true hiking! 

So, after breakfast we loaded Brianna, Moab and a backpack of snacks up for the 10 minute drive north to Windsor Lake Dam and the Tanyard Creek.  It was beautiful and perfect weather for being outside!  Plus, it gave me lots of opportunities to play with my new toy, a Cannon EOS Rebel T3.  I'm most certainly an amateur photographer but Brianna was more than willing to let me get lots of practice!

Blowing dandelions

She's singing "Great Big Stomping Dinosaur Feet" from Dinosaur Train, just in case you were wondering what she's doing in the below picture.

We had a great morning and can't wait to find more places to enjoy the scenery!

Planting Strawberries

I remember growing up that my Grandpa Medlin always had a bed of strawberries in the backyard and if there's anything that says summer to me, its fresh picked strawberries eaten on a hot day.  I wanted Brianna to have the experience of growing something this year so when I found these potted strawberry kits at Sam's Club, I thought it would be the perfect project for her, with a little help from mom and dad!

Here's a few pictures of getting the baby plants all potted and ready to grow beautiful, yummy strawberries!

In the last one, she's asking if she can water the plants a tiny bit more.  Pouring the water on seemed to be her favorite part!  We checked them tonight and all the little plants were growing strong and spreading out already so here's to hoping we have an abundance of strawberries in the near future!

Lil Sous Chef

 Lately, we do a lot more cooking than we used to and every time we cook as a family, Brianna insists on having a job.  So, breakfast on weekends and dinners every night have become quite the family affair.  So far, we've decided she's an expert at beating up the eggs and mixing up just about anything else, from batter for Morning Glory Muffins on the weekends to the gremolata topping for a recent Cinnamon Beef Stew.

 

She's becoming quite the little helper and we love having her in the kitchen with us!  Having her help cook seems to help her be willing to try new things lately too because she's added several new recipes to her list of things she's been brave enough to try lately!

Brianna's Third Birthday Party

I think the pictures tell the story better than I could .... so here's several from Brianna's birthday party, belated as they may be.