10 months

Welcome to the double digits, baby girl.

Emily Kay is 10 months old today. This last month went by in a blink of they eye, I swear I just wrote her 9 month update.

It was much easier getting her picture last month. This one doesn't sit still much anymore...

She's crawling....backwards army style. Still got a lil hitch in her giddyup, so no forward yet. There are a few ways she makes her way around a room.

1--army style backwards

2--Rolls over & over to get from A to B

3--Sits on her butt and bounces over

She gets up on all fours, but just kinda wiggles then collapses on that muchalicious belly. It's so cute though...

I know those chunky thighs are weighing her down, but gosh darn they're adorable.

Notice something new in these pictures?

PIGGIES! =)

She was a tad angry the first time I put them in, but now she doesn't mind them at all. Her reverse mullet makes it pretty easy to get them in, total party in the front & business in the back.

Em's in size 12 and 12-18 month clothes right now & size 4 shoes. I'm guessing she's about 21, 22 lbs. Still lovin her 3 meals a day, and has started on table food. Lil bites of bananas, mashed potatos, and beans are favs.

Sleep wise....ahhh it's nice. Down to bed by 730, 8 at night and out like a light until 7, 730 in the morning. I don't think she woke up at all in the middle of the night this past month. Feels good to be a functioning human.

Brook & Emmy together still makes me feel gushy inside....although I think they are really starting to get on each others nerves. I hear alot of "I said Nooooo, Em!" from Brookie followed by "swAAAAk" from Emily. Brookie bosses her around alot & steals her toys (to which she thinks she can take anything she wants from Emily as long as she replaces it with something else.) Emily pulls Brookie's hair and knocks things out of her hands. But everynight beore bed, Brookie just "has to" give her sister a hug & a kiss goodnight. No matter how annoying they are to each other, they've got a bond like no other.

Along with Mama, Dada,Ssss {for Sissy}, bah-ba {for bottle}, she's also saying NoNoNo and we're working on Up and Uh-ohhhh. She claps along with you or to music and finds the silliest things funny {like when I brush my teeth or when Brookie sneezes.}

What else is new with this (almost!) one year old? Well, she's putting those chunky thighs to work Olivia Newton-John style. Good ol' squats. Although she can't quite pull herself to stand {she's so close though!}, once she does stand she likes to hang out for awhile. And dance.

And eat the furniture.

I look at her & I swear the baby face is melting away. She's starting to look like a little person.

Such a sweet girl.

Although you might not wanna mess with the likes of her....

cause she can get a little crabby.

Happy 10th Monthday, Emily Kay!!! In 7 short weeks we'll be celebrating your 1st birthday. What an amazing year it's been so far.

And speaking of birthday, I'll give ya'll a hint to her birthday theme. Take a look at her piggie pictures up top....and remember her bathing suit from Great Wolf Lodge? Add some hot pink & orange to the mix and voila! A perfect summer 1st birthday party. {More deets in an upcoming post.}

But for now, let's take a look back....

Week 12 Weigh In

Another pound down!

So sooo close to my overall goal of 165 and even closer to my vacation goal of 170. Can I lose 3 lbs before we leave next week? Oh probably not, especially since my low carb ambition went out the door about 10 hours after I last posted. But the crazy thing is, I'm not devastated over that. Perhaps back in February, I set my goal a little too high. 25 pounds in 13 weeks. Was that too much to ask for? Maybe. But I've lost 17 pounds in 13 weeks, so I know that losing 25 isn't impossible...I just need a little more time. WW keeps telling me "slow weight loss wins". But who wants slow results? I wanted to be 165 yesterday, a month ago, a year ago!

So, instead of '25 off in 13 weeks', I'm now on the '25 off by 25..err 26' boat. My 26th birthday is in 6 weeks. 8 lbs in 6 weeks...doable? Ohhh I think so.

And maybe I need to stop relying on the number on the scale to justify myself. I need to rely on the mirror, recent pictures, peoples kind words and compliments. Rely on how awesome it feels to buy a smaller size in jeans. To not get winded holding a 20 pound baby in an infant carrier (Lord she needs moved to a convertable seat!), a stuffed diaper bag, Brookie's hand and a litter of her stuffed animals down the back stairs and to the car. Rely on the fact that my c-section scar is becoming more visable from a north view {fellow c/s Mommas, I know you know that's a biggie.} Rely on the fact my BMI is in the healthy weight range. That's the best feeling. Seeing a BMI of 24.

I promised ya'll an interesting bean brownie recipe. I got it from Mandy & it was suprisingly delish. Best of all, if you subsitute Splenda for sugar, it's only 10 points for the entire pan. Not just a serving, the whole damn pan!

Black Bean Brownies

1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x8 square baking dish.

2. Combine the black beans, eggs, oil, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, sugar, and instant coffee in a blender; blend until smooth; pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the mixture.
 3. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.

Don't skip out on the coffee! It's what makes these taste so chocolatey. And like I said, try Splenda instead of sugar. Now, for the low down on these guys. I wouldn't suggest eating a pan & then taking a road trip. You'll be worse off than Harry Dunn at Mary Swanson (Samsinite's) house. So enjoy these treats from the safety of your own home =)

Hoppy Easter!

Like my lame attempt at an Easter joke?......

No?....

Psh, Brookie thought it was hilarious.

 Easter is {already!!} over and we had so much fun this year. We started off on Friday coloring eggs. Brookie had fun doing this & I'm glad because it's not going to happen again until she's 10. Seriously. My OCD just can't handle it. The dye, the stains, the drips, the stench, I was a nervous wreck!

Look at this face. Holding up that cheap wire egg holder thingy thinking "Ya, I'm not using this"

"Imma use my hands"

Aaaand that she did.

I tried to convince her that using a whisk, like she did last year, was SO MUCH MORE FUN! But that was a no go. Oh well. She had fun. And gray hair can always be colored.

Speaking of hair......

Brookie got her very first haircut on Saturday! Ohmigosh, I can't believe I she went through with it. I was getting my hair cut (thinned out the beastly mane & added some side bangs heyyy) and she was so intruiged with it. I have been debating on cutting her hair because the back was getting so long and the front just wasn't growing at all. Let's call a spade a spade---she was rockin a mullet.

Although she was a bit apprehensive...

She did so well!! {Excuse the cell pic. It was an impulse cut or else you know I would've had my Rebel in her face like whoa.} It took about 2 minutes & voila! Super sweet spring bob =)

On Sunday morning, I wanted to get the girls pictures together in their cute Easter shirts. All was going well until...

Emily peed all over hers. Oy. And Brooklyn thought it was hysterical.

A quick jams change & we were ready to go. After an egg hunt inside the house for Brookie, she went straight for the baskets. Oh ya, nosy girl had to dig through her sisters as well.

The loot. Remember when we were kids & we got a chocolate bunny & some Cadburry eggs?!? It might as well of been Christmas with the list Brookie had going on.

The puffs were definitely Em's favorite.

And the grass (that I'm STILL picking off the bottom of my feet from yesterday.)

Brookie is in love with her unicorn & new white puppy.

And Belle =)

Easter afternoon we went over to Dustin's grandparents for lunch. And I cheated on my diet. Carb free, shmarb free, I tore it up. Good thing I weighed in before I indulged.

My MIL once again made the girls dresses. Aren't they beautiful? Brookie loved twirling around in hers.

And Emily spent most of the day sleeping in hers. (I think we're going through another growth spurt. But hey, she is STTN, I'm not complaining!)

Here's a better look at Brookie's bob. I'm just smitten with it. I can't believe how much of a little girl she is!

We had to have the egg hunt inside {stupid rain!}, but this girl knows how to get it done. 12 eggs, 2 minutes flat. Atta girl!

At the end of the day, I tried to get a sweet picture of the girls in their Easter dresses. Here's what I got...

Even better, right?!? Emmy's face, Brookie's dirty socks & YGG underoos out for all to see, her blank stare....perfect photo for high school humiliation.

Hope you all had a blessed Easter with your loved ones!!

P.S. I know I'm late on my weekly weigh in. It's coming, I promise! Plus another delish recipe--2 words. Beans and Brownies. Sounds nasty I know, but oh no my friends....oh no.

Princess Party & Easter 1 of 2.

Is it just me...or has this month gone CRAZY fast?!? We've had so much to do on the weekends, I couldn't believe when I realized we have less than 2 weeks until we leave for Las Vegas {more on my feelings about vacation in an upcoming post. Have you seen "Tangled" yet? Remember how Rapunzel acts after she leaves the tower---excited/crying/excited/guilty...ya, that bout sums me up.} Anywho, like I said, we've had busy weekends.

Last weekend we celebrated Brookie's bestie's 3rd birthday. Miss Ava Claire had a princess party & it didn't take much having these 2 girls act the part.

I just love Ava's face while we all sang Happy Birthday.

Can't have a princess party without tutu's

and cake!

The gang. I can't believe how fast these ladies are growing!

My bestie & I. Lurve her.  

We also had Dustin's dad sides Easter.  

Brooklyn & Hadley. These 2 crack me up. One minute they're best friends gushing over each other. The next minute they're narking each other out & arguing. They're just about 2 years apart....so I guess they're giving me a preview of Brookie & Emily circa 2012. Oh joy.

Egg hunt =)

I love this. Such a smitten Daddy that man of mine.

It's so much harder getting a good picture of the 2 girls. In one picture Brookie looks at the camera & gives a sweet smile...

and then in the next shot Emmy gives the perfect look.

Hey, at least no one is screaming.

Now today starts another busy weekend. Tomorrow we are coloring eggs in the morning & this slacker is doing last minute Easter basket shopping (or ya know, buying everything since the only thing I've gotten so far is Cinderella on DVD for Brookie.) Then Sunday we'll have breakfast & a lil Easter egg hunt at home. Then off to Easter dinner with Dustin's mom's family. I'm already tired...