We are still here...

Jul 27, 2012

We always make it to summer time hoping that our busy schedules will slow down and we will just bask in the glory of splashing in the pool and late summer nights as a family.  Unfortunately our calendars are ALWAYS full leaving little to no time to document our adventures...but know that we are still finding time to bask in the sun shine and keep Scarlett up way past her bed time.

And...a little of this

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone AppUploaded from the Photobucket iPhone AppUploaded from the Photobucket iPhone AppUploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App


Vote for us... Vote For Us @ TopBabyBlogs.Com - A Top Baby Blog List By topbabyblogs.com

The places she sleeps continued...

Jul 20, 2012

I slept on the couch last night to escape one of Chris's epic snore fests.  At about 2 AM (totally assuming this was the time because of the pitch dark and lack of clock) Scarlett waddled into the living room, cuddled beside me on the couch and fell asleep.  At around 3 AM I woke up, picked up her tiny body and deposited it back into her bedroom.  At 6 AM she came back into the living room, snuggled on the couch, cuddled next to me and I drifted to dreamland while she twisted a lock of my hair around her fingers and mumbled softly to herself.  At 6:30AM I woke up and rolled over, startled because Scarlett was no longer taking up the precious couch space next to me.  I still heard her soft melodic breath, so knowing she was safe, drifted back to sleep.  At 7:30 AM I woke up to her tiny head peaking out from under the coffee table saying, "the sun is up".  Apparently, after deciding that the couch was just too comfortable she climbed onto the floor and proceed to fall asleep under the coffee table (on the hard wood floor).  Just close enough to be near me but just far enough away to be her natural independent self.  Toddlers never cease to amaze. 

Vote for us... Vote For Us @ TopBabyBlogs.Com - A Top Baby Blog List By topbabyblogs.com

The name game...

Jul 17, 2012


When we found out our first child was going to be a girl we had no trouble picking three names that we loved.  We decided to wait and see her before picking one that would fit her tiny, new to this world, personality.  She came out inquisitive and aware with bright red hair and decided that the name Scarlett would fit perfectly.  Looking into her deep wandering eyes I knew we made the right choice.  She has never stopped being an inquisitive child, taking in everything about the world around her and constantly questioning with incessant who, what, when, where and why.

This time around we are at a complete loss for names.  Naming a boy has been a bigger trial than we anticipated.  One problem is that we can't seem to agree and another is I can't imagine calling my son anything that we have thrown out there. Even though we have a three full months to come up with something I am afraid we might get to the labor and delivery room, look at the new life before us, and have no idea what to call him. I have given Chris a good deal of free reign on this one (since Scarlett was pretty much my decision) but I unfortunately feel like I have been veto-ing ideas left and right.  Nothing is "clicking" the way it did with Scarlett.  I just keep waiting for a name to pop up and resonate with  my inner mother instincts.  Waiting to get excited to paint his name on the wall or start soothing his twists and turns by gently calling it through my stretching skin. As the days dwindle and the failed attempt at names keep piling in my mind, I try to imagine his deep eyes looking into mine and realize that in the end it doesn't matter what we call him, what matters is that he is ours.  That God has given us his life on this Earth and what we call him while he is here is irrelevant to the love we already feel for his presence in our lives.  So even if it is takes us three days after his birth, and we finally decide to name him after the first inanimate object that we see, this will still be in the name of love.  So here is to Tray Bedsheets Becher...may he be blessed with humor and good looks to make up for his parents lack of decisiveness and overall frustration with the naming process. 


Vote for us... Vote For Us @ TopBabyBlogs.Com - A Top Baby Blog List By topbabyblogs.com

Prayer...

Jul 10, 2012

Every night we pray with Scarlett.  First we say the Lords prayer and then we listen as Scarlett gives thanks to God for her bedroom door, her "letters" on the wall, and her panda in the corner.  Every night she reminds me of the importance of being truly thankful.  Scarlett hasn't crossed the prayer bridge of asking for forgiveness or even lifting up "requests" or "concerns" to the Lord.  She is simply thankful.  Most of the time she is merely thankful in an effort to extend the looming bed time deadline, but with the repeated guidance of her father and I she has shortened her prayers to those things that linger on her mind instead of loose items in her bedroom.

Sunday night after church Scarlett surprised me with a thankful prayer for "blessings".  Every Sunday Scarlett joins Chris and I at the alter and receives a blessing.  I was so surprised to see that this weekly act has made an impact on her tiny mind. It is a weekly repetition that has somehow eased its way into her heart.  Unfortunately Chris and I have failed to fully explain the significance of receiving a blessing to Scarlett, maybe because we thought she was too young and maybe because we were lazy, but the fact that she is thankful for the act shows me that she is more aware than we give her credit.  Where she might not be ready to embrace the full beauty of the entire traditional service, the little bit of service she participates in has already left its mark on her soul.  Only through the grace of God has Scarlett been able to see the beauty of coming to Him on a weekly basis to receive His blessing and to return with a thankful heart. 


Through the four simple words uttered in desperation of extending bedtime traditions "thank you for blessings",  Scarlett opened my eyes to a depth of thanksgiving that I had long forgotten.  She is thankful even without a full understanding of what she is thankful for. This is the way I should pray.  Not only for my house, my family, or the food in my pantry, but for those things that God is gracious enough to give that I don't even know I have. 


Vote for us... Vote For Us @ TopBabyBlogs.Com - A Top Baby Blog List By topbabyblogs.com

The places she sleeps...

Jul 4, 2012

These days we never know where we are going to find Scarlett sleeping when we open the hallway door at night.  We put her down in her bedroom and almost every night find her sleeping somewhere else.

It all started about a month ago during nap time when we heard Scarlett's door open but never saw her tiny head poke out of the living room door telling us that she was refusing to go to sleep.  We gave her a good 20 minutes before checking on her and found this...

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

She snuck out of her room and crawled into ours.  Made herself comfortable and fell asleep.

A couple weeks later after an extensive bed time routine and crazy list of demands, Chris decided to check on her before he went to bed, he called my name followed by "you have to see this"...

floor sleep

She snuck onto the floor,  made herself comfortable and fell asleep.

Last week when Chris was gone, I let Scarlett sleep most nights with me in my bed.  It was a special treat for her to be able to fall asleep in my big bed and a special treat for me to wake up, roll over and rub her back until she fell asleep for an extra half hour quiet time.  One night after putting her down in my bed with approximately 5 blankets, 3 stuffed animals, 2 baby dolls, 3 "toys", and a cup of water, I came back two hours later to find my bed COMPLETELY EMPTY.  No blankets, no pillows, no toys, no animals, no Scarlett.  I gasped thinking she must have fallen off of the bed.  Not on the floor on either side of the bed, I checked her room thinking she might have gotten tired of the idea of sleeping with Mommy.  Not in her room, I officially started freaking out.  I returned to my bedroom and remembering that I had left the closet door open with the light on for a "night-light" and noticing the closet door was closed, I slowly opened the door to find this...

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

She snuck ALL 15 objects listed above, plus ALL of the pillows off of our bed, into the closet, made herself comfortable, closed the door and fell asleep. 

Point of the story is...our daughter is inventive, sneaky, really determined to find a cozy spot to sleep and not afraid of putting a little legwork into making herself comfortable.  It probably took me a good 5 minutes to drag everything out of the closet who knows how long it took her tiny arms to put them in there.

Also, this is where Scarlett and Daddy slept last night...per Scarlett's request. On the couch cushions, inside the makeshift fort in the living room.  (Sorry for the blurry picture...it was pitch black in the fort).

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

P.S. Happy forth of July!!!

Vote for us... Vote For Us @ TopBabyBlogs.Com - A Top Baby Blog List By topbabyblogs.com

Crock pot Coq au vin...

Jul 3, 2012

Photobucket

I have finally been in the mood to cook...it only took me five months into this pregnancy to get excited about cramming my face with food and now I am thrilled with all of the tasty possibilities. 
I decided to bust out the crock pot (mostly because I love the way it makes my mouth water with delicious smells all day long) and peruse through the standard crock pot recipe book, landing on slow cooked Coq au Vin for dinner.  

What you need: 
 
5 slices bacon, diced
2/3 cup green onions, sliced
3 1/2 broiler, cut up (or 6 chicken breast halves)
1 onion chopped
1/4 pound whole mushrooms ( I used way more...we like mushrooms)
couple handfuls of small red potatoes (cut in half)
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 to 1 1/2 cup burgundy wine
parsley, chopped
 
Directions
  1. In large skillet, saute diced bacon and green onions until bacon is crisp. Remove and drain well.
  2. Add chicken pieces to skillet and brown well on all sides. Remove chicken and set aside.
  3. Put onion, mushrooms, potatoes, and garlic in crock pot.
  4. Add browned chicken pieces, bacon and green onions, salt pepper, thyme and chicken broth.
  5. Cover and cook on Low 8 to 10 hours or on High 4 to 5 hours. Add Burgundy wine during last hour of cooking. (I recommend putting the wine in earlier to let it really soak into the chicken)
Enjoy!


Vote for us... Vote For Us @ TopBabyBlogs.Com - A Top Baby Blog List By topbabyblogs.com