This past week..

A week in pictures:

-My brother spent the week in town and got to get some Mia time. She loved his company!

-There was lots of new recipes being tried. (Chicken cordon bleu) pictured above. Delicious!!

- I got some new highlights. {not pictured}

- I read the 3 books of the Hunger Games series. And am so sad it's over. I need a new book asap. I highly recommend it. I loved it.

- there was some napping, and lots of cuddling.

-Mia also had her 3month checkup today. I can't believe she's 3 months. 3 months! Ah!

Snow, No snow...

Yesterday I was suppose to drive to Charlottesville and pick up my little brother from the airport.

Only I didn't.

Because this happened:

Early this morning. (On my way to class 9:50am)

 It snowed about 5-6 inches last night.

 It was so bad, (for Virginia(n) terms) that I got scared to drive out so my mom went with her friend instead. Thank goodness for that friend. Of course it snows the one day we don't want it to, because a couple hours later this is happening:

Same day. (On my way home from the store 4:30pm)

I didn't even get a snow day. To appreciate it's whiteness. To take pictures of my little girl in her first big snowstorm! Maybe next time... I did take this picture of her once we got back from shopping...

Snowstorm or not, she's hands down my favorite cutie no matter what.

Have you guys been keeping up with the #febphotoaday? I'll be posting a full collage of the whole month soon.

Awkward & Awesome Friday

Awkward:

• Having a professor tell me to be careful because the person sitting next to me kept eyeing my test. Com'on we're in college. Quit your sneaky cheating.
• How many peanut butter M&M's I've eaten this past month. And I'm not even a peanut butter person.
• Being on the phone for over 2 hours with ATT and apple, because there's a crack on my screen and apparently having warranty and insurance on your phone doesn't do you much good. What's the point then?! Gr.. I could cry thinking about it.

Awesome:

• My little brother is coming to spend his February break in Virginia. So we'll get to see him a couple of days. And My other little (not so little), brother will be home from his 2 year mission in just 2 weeks!!!
• Starting to plan our time in Boston to see family & friends.
• Mia has been sleeping all night for the past 5 days! It started off with 7, then 8, 9, and now 12 hours of sleep!! My little baby not only cooperated with the whole sleep training concept, but she LOVED it.
• The sweet goodie box we got from Meema. Thanks again mom. That was really sweet!
• Running. I just recently started trying to train in order to be able to run a half marathon this summer.
• Hunger games. I. am. complete. obsessed. 
• Katie bringing Mia not one, but TWO boxes of diapers. She's heaven sent. 
• Mia's coughs when she thinks she's laughing. It's cute.
• Being married to my best friend, and seeing him be a dad. I love how fatherhood looks on him.

 Don't you agree?! Plus he loves that binky more than Mia does sometimes. ;)

Like father like daughter

How sneaky is Tyler?... Trying to make Mia look even more like him than she already does. I think the only 'mommy features' she has right now is my nose and chin. Could that be all?! She has the whole book worm thing going on. Hopefully that's from me. I have not been able to put down

since I got it Monday night. It is sooo good. Tyler glances my way whenever I go "oh no" laugh out loud and even cry from certain chapters. I am addicted!!! Are you guys reading any good books? We need to form a good book club, even if we're not getting together every week. We could talk/blog about it. I love reading. Especially in days like today where it was raining. I made some white chicken chili, some more pretzel buttons, enjoyed my family and reading time. I love it. :)

Sweet Valentine's

How was everyone's Valentine's day? Special, I hope!! Tyler and I got this sweet little box from my lovely mother-in-law. It was filled with goodies for all three of us. Mia got the most gorgeous blanket, a book and burp cloths. She's so spoiled and loved! It was so sweet to get that in the mail. Thanks mom!!
We had a nice day. Filled with laughter and mushy gushy-ness. I'm so glad I'm married to my best friend. Here's a few pictures we snapped of our day.

My beautiful tulips. So sweet.

YUMMM!

We planned to go out just the two of us, but it was even better staying in. I am in love with these chocolate covered pretzels. They were so easy to make and so good!!! I brought Katie some, and have been munching on these all day. Here's the recipe in case you guys haven't or want to try em' out. I definitely recommend it!!

Happy valentine's day

Hey guys change of plans. I procrastinated a little too long and will no longer be a guest today over at Mackenzie's blog, but do go and check her out for some cute stories, and creative dates. Maybe I can do it again some other time.

On that note.. Happy Valentine's day!!

NYC 2009

on my tippy toes. 

Hope you guys have a sweet Valentine's day. Do you guys have any big plans?! This will be our first valentine' with baby, so we'll see what we can get done. I'm hoping for some sushi and a night out to get dolled up. Either way I have everything I need under the same roof.

XOXO's

Weekend update

I have to get better at posting. It's been a long busy weekend. Tyler had his usual eye appointment check up and that didn't go so well. We wanted to hear better news, but the opposite happened. It's still going to be a long process before we can actually determine whether or not he'll ever get his vision back. It was a bummer.

Unfortunately I also got sick over the weekend. For all the nursing momma's out there, how in the world did you or do you deal with the pain of mastitis? It's the second time I get it, and darn I hate it. I cried a lot this weekend because of the ab-noxious pain that I felt. It stinks.

And I got a calling! I am once again the a teacher in relief society. I love being able to put thought into teaching a class, and love those ladies.  I learn so much when I teach, they're the ones who teach me. 

Mia decided to finally sleep straight through the night this weekend. I was in awe!! I just recently started getting her in a routine before bed, and apparently she loved it!! We give her a quick little bath every night now around 8-and 8:30. Then we nurse and read her a book, pray and off to bed. Tyler has the late night shift, so he's been appreciating this new development a little more than me. But I'm so proud of my baby girl for getting some much needed rest!

I also got to watch the Breaking Dawn movie. Have you guys seen it? Of course you have. Tyler got me the last movie from redbox for over a 100 mile radius. I made it watch it with me, and it was better this time than the last time I tried getting him to watch Twilight with me. He made fun of it the entire time... 

I've been uploading my # febphotoaday to my twitter and facebook. I'll do a recap of it all at the end of the month. 

Oh I'm going to be a guest blogger tomorrow over at my dear friend Mackenzie's blog. Be sure to check it out and leave us some love. 

Dreaded day

For about a month now, I've been debating whether or not to expose Mia to being immunized. A lot of mom's that I spoke to,choose not to because of the risk and complications that some time fault from getting certain shots. Tyler and I talked about it for a long time, me going back and forth on what I thought was best. And him never changing his opinion. Although there are indeed parents who chose not to I completely respect their decision. It's hard to see your child go through such torture from getting those painful needle shots into their tiny little legs.I knew this day was coming. The dreaded 2 month immuzation requirement. I tried my best to prepare my heart for what was going to happen, and keep my baby as happy as possible. We took Mia in this morning for her appointment and I held her close until we heard our names being called.
"Mia McCurdy, we're ready for you dear"
......... Uhmmm, but we're not ready for you mr. needle.....
She had no idea what was coming. She was smiley at the nurse as I held her knees and hands just cooing away. Gosh. My heart broke. They say parents can discern their babies cries. It's true alright. My baby gave out the saddest little cry this morning. It still breaks my heart to think about it. As she cried I cried. As a mom you want to always tell yourself that you would protect your child from all forms of dangers. Bruises, skinned knees, paper cuts, heartbreaks, and bad friendships- you tell your self, I'll jump in front of a bus to save my child. How I wish I could have suffered her pain for her this morning. But what good would that do? How much more pain I would feel later in life if she caught something that those shots could have prevented? As the tears were strolling down both our cheeks, the nurse kept reassuring me "it's ok mama." "This is hurting you more than it's hurting her". "Are you ok mama? Can you handle this?"
"NO, I can't". And I handed her over to her daddy for round two.
The other fragile baby thigh. Gosh how I hated today. I hated not being able to take her pain away, I hated that all I could do was hold her hand. I hated wiping away all those sad little tears running down her chubby cheeks. But this is our job as parents. To make sure that once they fall from the bike and scrape their knees on the floor that we'll comfort them, and them motivate them to get back on it. We need to put on a brave face for our little ones and be their heroes- even when our heart is breaking inside for them. Today was a dreaded day. I don't even want to think about having to do this again for the fourth month check up..

 

Google

 Here's the #febphotoaday. 'Sun', because we all need a little sunshine today ;)

A little bit of of it all

Sorry I flaked yesterday on my post, it was busy day. How was everyone's weekend? Did you guys all have a chance to watch the superbowl? I loved Madonna's half time show and her boots, but hated that my New England Patriots lost. I bet with Tyler and man do I hate losing!!! It's the first and last time I ever bet. Believe me!
I kept up with my #febphotoaday challenge. If you missed those check them out here and here. It's been fun, and quite challenging at times. Like the stranger one. Phew. I felt like a complete stalker trying to snap a picture of someone without them noticing. I'm glad I had that old man one on file. He saw me take it. And it was awkward alright.
But I wanted to share a few recipes with you guys today. Thanks to my pinterest board of course. I've been dying to make these too mouth watering meals.

via

 Ok, that steak is going to be a repeat in the McCurdy household home. It was DELICIOUS! Only problem we had was that my mom has our grill at her house, so I oven baked my steak for 20 minutes instead, and it was so tender! I'm in love.
Here's the recipe in case you couldn't get it off the link above:

Asian Inspired Flat Iron Steak Recipe

Recipe type: Main

Author: Savory Sweet Life

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 4-6

A delicious Asian-inspired grilled flat iron steak recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup Sherry
• 1/4 cup Honey
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
• 2 Tablespoons (heaping) Minced Ginger
• 2 Tablespoons (3-5 cloves) Minced Garlic
• teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 Flat Iron Steaks
• Garnish: 2 Tablespoons Roasted Sesame Seeds and 2 Green Onions, slivered.

Instructions

1. Gather all ingredients together – soy sauce, sherry, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and flat iron steak.
2. Whisk the ingredients in a bowl. Place the steaks and marinade in a ziplock bag and chill in the refrigerator for 3-6 hours.Grill steaks on high heat for 4 minutes on each side for medium rare steaks. Allow steaks to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds and green onion slivers on top to garnish.

AND

Via weight watchers

Recipe:

	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	1 head(s) (medium) uncooked cauliflower
	1/2 tsp Durkee ground cumin, or other brand
	1/2 tsp chili powder, or more to taste
	1/2 tsp table salt
	1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  
• Cut cauliflower florets into bite-sized pieces (there should be about 4 cups). Place cauliflower in a medium bowl and add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper; toss well to coat.
  
• Spread cauliflower on prepared baking sheet and bake until cauliflower is tender, but not mushy, stirring halfway through, about 10 minutes. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

  I'm not too much of a cauliflower person, but I love when my sister makes it and now this one. So easy and super good. And let's not forget healthy!!! I want my kids to eat their veggies when the time comes, so I have to find good/ fun ways to incorporate them in our meals. Tyler loved it! 

Sorry long post today, but I wanted to show you guys the craft that Katie and I made yesterday. It's fabulous! 

via make it and love it

 It's a car trash bag. Cutesy of course. I loved it and it was so easy to make. Honestly if Katie and I can pull this off anyone can! I like it because (a) its adorable, (b) I can wash it in case it gets messy (c) it'll be convenient with Mia in the back seat. 

Here's how ours turned out.

It's the same fabric I used for Mia's rocking chair  & the contrast of my pin board [behind me].

                      We don't look so good, but our trash bags sure do.

And last but not least. This adorable picture of Mia munching on her soffie and loving her auntie Katie and uncle Nick. She was giggling a ton for Katie and was really good while we crafted.

Awkward & Awesome Friday

Awkward:

• making three trips to CVS in one day.. gotta love a forgetful mind.
• trying to teach my mom math homework. Mom 2 * 4 is not six. Mom if you have -8 and -7 you dont have 1. You owe eight and you owe someone else 7. How much do you owe total? She's cute.
• Having the missionaries over for dinner this week and trying to explain what a contraction feels like. Why would you ask? Oh boy. Awkward long pause form my part. 
• Eating way too many peanut butter m&m's this week. I might be sick. They are so good! And I don't even like peanut butter.

Awesome

•  getting cvs cash back because I shop there too much.
• my baby brother is coming home from his mission in less than a month!! I cannot wait to see him!
• actually finishing a craft last night with Katie. She actually finished mine because Mia started getting fussy.
• My chemistry test got pushed back a week. Giving me more time to study and be better prepared for it. Woo go chemistry!
• Soffie the giraffe. Mia LOVES her. 
• Going to West Vorginia today for a biometrics and taking a lovely nap once we got home from that horrendous drive.
• getting my hair dyed this weekend. finally

via


 We made that wreath last night. Our fabric was sheer and sparkly, so our flowers turned out a little different, but the idea is still there. We want to create a frame for it like she has hers on. Maybe Lowe's could help us out?!

Of course we had chocolate on the table. Can't have craft night without some chocolate.
And last but not least, my picture of the day!!

Love when these little hands meet. So cute! Most of the time they're gooey with slobber, but man alive these are the cutest little hands I've ever seen. :)

Words I love to hear.

Chantelle and Katie recently started the February photo a day challenge. I thought I'd give it a try too.
I'll still blog about other stuff, but I'll do my best to have a picture each day. You guys up for the task? I'll be linking mine up to facebook and twitter each day. Send me yours if you're up for the challenge!

                                                      Words I love to hear.

Mia rolled over...

Mia rolled over today. I wish I had something to document this mile stone in her life, but it wasn't as sweet as we hoped it'd be. Poor baby. She was taking a nap with her dada on the couch, and he left her alone for 2 minutes to come bug, I mean talk to me in the room when we heard a loud noise. We immediately ran out to see what had happened. Mia managed to roll her self right off the couch, off the computer chair that tyler had put in front of the couch as a barrier, and landed on the floor. Our hearts sank. I called my sister and the doctor immediately. I felt like the worse mom in the world. And so did Tyler. He kept apologizing. I knew it wasn't his fault and I wanted to comfort him, but at that moment we were both preoccupied with consoling our crying baby. She's a champ. She stopped crying as soon as we picked her up and talked to her. She was alert and responsive. Just startled by the fall, but who wouldn't be? She wasn't allowed to nap for a while (as a precaution). Everything is okay. But for those minutes that we held her close I couldn't seem to stop kissing her. We're grateful and lucky that nothing worse happened. Now we just have to remember that our little girl is growing a lot faster than we thought. :)