Thankful

I know Thanksgiving was a couple of weeks ago, but I never got around to counting my blessings. Better late than never, right?!?

I am thankful for...

my family...all of it! My blood relatives that are always there for me, and my in-laws who have welcomed me into their family so graciously. I am so glad that I was able to marry into a wonderful, supportive family. My mother-in-law has been a HUGE help by coming down and watching Trapper so that I can sleep.

my son. Trapper has changed my life forever...in the best way possible! He brings joy to my life everyday by learning a new word/action or doing something that is just too adorable. I love each stage of his life better than the next and I always look forward to what will happen next!

my job. I love what I do and am happy to have my job in this economy. I love the flexibility my job offers.

my husband. He is so good to me! He works hard to provide for our family and this has allowed me to be able to stay at home with Trapper more this first year and a half. That may be the best thing, because you can't get that time back.

my friends. I have only known Valerie for a little over a year, but it was an instant connection. I am so thankful that y'all were placed in our lives and brought others into it as well. I met Ashley through Valerie and we just seem to get closer. I love both of you girls and your families. Thanks for all that y'all have done for ours! I am also thankful for my best friend, also known as mom. She is there for me in anything and everything. She is almost always able to keep Trapper at the drop of a hat or just hang out with me and have a drink or girl-time. Thanks for EVERYTHING that you do for me!

my house. While it's not big or fancy or even clean all the time, I am glad to have it. It keeps me warm/cool, dry and safe. It's a work in progress that will probably always be that way, but it is OURS! I guess our cars fit in this category, too. We both have reliable transportation that fits our needs for the time being.

the panhandle. I love this part of the world! You can't beat the sunsets or the people. I (now) love the fact that I grew up in Happy and would much rather live a simple life here than a busy life in a big city. They are fun to visit, but not my idea of a great place to live and raise a family.

my mechanic/plumber/general contractor/dad. He has saved us tons of money with his knowledge of just about everything. I will never be able to reapy you for your work.

my church. I started attending Paramount Terrace Christian Church when I was 14, and although it has changed names, locations, pastors and even expanded to Canyon, it is an amazing family to be a part of. I especially love that they have expanded to Canyon. It is closer for us and a smaller congregation that is not so intimidating. And I just found out yesterday that we have bought a building! No more setting up and tearing down our church! I hope that this helps us be able to reach even more people!

I'm sure there is so much more that I could come up with, but that covers the biggies. I hope everyone had a wonderful, thankful Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Farm!

Last Saturday we went to Maxwell's Pumpkin Farm. It was so much fun! The weather felt like fall in West Texas, though. Pretty sure we picked the windiest day of the season so far! They have everything there! A pumpkin-shaped bounce house, corn maze, jumping pillow, wagon ride, corn box (like a sand box, but with corn), giant tunnel slides, ducky race, bunny village, and of course, a pumpkin patch. They even have a corn cannon for the "big" kids! Tyson and Travis loved that...lol! This will definately be a yearly visit!! Had a blast with our good friends the Heeke's!

WTAMU Homecoming

Well, it's been a while since my last post. I promise to do better! We have been busy, and I can't even remember what all we have been doing!
We had WTAMU Homecoming festivities the beginning of October. The weather was absolutely beautiful this year (If you don't remember, last year was freezing cold and miserable!!). Trapper woke up bright and early, so we went and enjoyed the Lions Club Pancake Breakfast. Trapper LOVES pancakes and he even liked the sausage! We made our way over to the fair on the square. We visited Tyson at his booth and then did some shopping! I found the cutest hat...and bought TWO! I'm not a big hat-wearer, but these are so adorable that I have found plenty of excuses not to fix my hair...lol!





















Trapper enjoyed the parade and even rode inthe Chevelle with PaPa for part of it! I don't know who enjoyed it more...Trapper of PaPa?

Date Night!!

Tyson and I finally went on a date night Friday night!! We had a delicious dinner at SaltGrass Steak House. I started with a bowl of their yummy potato soup then had a wonderful sirloin steak that was cooked to perfection with a side of asparagus. I topped of the meal with a peach tea (the alcoholic version, oh course!). It was SO good!

We had some time to spare so we wondered across the street to the mall to look at cell phones for Tyson. Exciting, I know!

Our movie of choice was "The Town." It's the new Ben Affleck movie that he not only stars in, but also produced and directed. The theatre was small which I thought was odd considering it is the #1 movie in the nation right now, but we were able to find decent seats. I think that they have doubled the amount of previews! It was seriously 20-25 minutes!! Ridiculous!!! There was one couple that had their 11/12 month old baby there. I don't know what they were thinking! Unless the movie is rated PG, please leave your children at home! She wanted to run around and then she would fall and cry...they eventually left for good and made a lot of people very happy. It was a very good movie. I would give it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

A BIG thanks to Lovey for keeping Trapper so we could have a much-needed night out!!

This is just a quick post so I can show y'all the adorable blanket I made the other day. I wanted to attempt a "quilt-like" blanket, so I started looking through some of my fabric scraps and found some green, purple and orange prints that looked great together. I went to town to get a minky fabric for the backing and some ribbon for tabs around the perimeter. I originally had a yellow fabric picked out, too, but when I found the minky I had to redirect and find a pink instead. I found a pink leopard print that matched perfectly! I think it turned out great, but what do you think???

My Accomplishments for Today

Not too long ago my friend Libby @ http://libby-bonjour.blogspot.com/ me to a wonderful ETSY find...

These camera straps are AdOrAbLe!! I just had to have one! She hosted a giveaway that I (not surprisingly) didn't win. So, I decided to try my hand at making one. It was much harder than I thought it would be and took a lot more time than I was expecting. I got it done, though!

Here is my finished product...

Pretty good for my first ever encounter with sewing ruffles! I will NOT, however, be making another!! I figured out why they sell for $35 and now realize that they are worth every penny! So, head on over to Eclectic Whatnot to buy your favorite, but let me warn you...it will be hard to choose just ONE.

I also made this photo/note board for Heather to give to her mom. She bakes cookies and cakes as a side business and Heather wanted something for her to be able to display some of her work. I think it turned out pretty cute and I hope her mom LoVeS it!

All in all, it was a productive day even though I didn't get to my 3rd project...

Goodnight! ~Kiri~

This is something I've been wanting to write for a while now. It's my personal list of some of my favorite baby items! Most of these I've used and a few I want to try next time. I'm sure there are items I've left off, but it's a good start to hopefully help some other first-time moms sort through the MiLLiOnS of baby products.



1) It took me almost a year to discover them, but now I am in LOVE with Up&Up Diapers (Target brand). They are super cheap and just as good as the expensive ones!



2) I tried several baby carriers and finally found the best one...The Moby Wrap. I actually bought a Sleepy Wrap, but they are the same thing. I wish I would have had it when he was smaller! It's a little complicated to learn at first and not as fast as the over-the-head slings, but WELL worth it!!



3) Robeez or any other type of soft-soled shoes. These are great for crawling and learning-to-walk babies. They are much better for them to learn to walk in than a hard-soled shoe that doesn't give. Go to www.robeez.com for the full explanation.



4) Couldn't have lived without my Boppy! This multi-function pillow is a must for breast feeding, but also does so much more. You can prop a baby up that can not sit on his own and great for the all-important tummy time. I suggest an extra cover, too.



5) My favorite baby wipe would have to be Pamper's Baby Fresh Wipes. They are softer than Huggies and seem to do a better job, and this scent is my favorite!



6) The Bumbo is also one of the greatest inventions. This chair helps babies develop their core so they can sit up on their own. It's best to wait until baby has decent head control, but then they can sit at the table with you while you eat, watch you fold laundry, etc... It also has a play tray that can be purchased separately for around $10.



7) My car seat of choice was a Chicco KeyFit 30 car seat and an extra base. This is one of the highest rated infant car seats and is super easy to install with the LATCH system that is found in all newer cars. I definitely recommend an extra base if there are two parents that will be transporting the infant. The padding inserts are great in this seat and there is no need to buy any extra head or body supports, even for a 5# preemie like Trapper! It will also last you a while since it goes up to 30 pounds. We found that Trapper was tired of laying down to travel long before he reached the weight limit, so we upgraded to a convertible seat at 8 months (shhhh, don't tell!) You can also get the car seat and stroller travel system, but I chose not to. Which brings me to my next item...



8) I searched and searched for months to find the perfect stroller that didn't cost $1000 and finally found one that I could not be happier with. The Joovy Kooper!! It folds like an umbrella stoller, but still reclines for sleeping. It has a decent sized basket that so far, has been big enough for everything we've needed it for. There are also 2 side pockets (1 on either side of the child) that are perfect for toys or sippy cups. The sun canopy is quite large and it unfolds easily. It comes in fun colors, too, but I'm boring and just got black.



9) If you are breast feeding, the next 3 items are for you...

Washable breast pads (instead of the disposable ones) are wonderful. Much more comfortable and cheaper in the long run. I used Playtex and Avent. Playtex were thinner and Avent ones are thicker and better for days at work or long periods away from baby. Plus the Avent ones come with a little mesh bag to wash 'em in and store 'em all together.



10) Medela Pump in Style breast pump. I chose the backpack one. This is one of the best pumps, but expensive. Great for those of us that have to go back to work post baby.



11) Hot Slings nursing cover. This one goes all the way around you so even if baby is flailing his arms and legs you can still stay covered. I didn't purchase this, but borrowed a friends for our trip to California . I didn't think that I would like this particular style, but ended up loving it! Maybe I will make one like it before baby #2 comes!



12) Swaddling a baby helps them to sleep better, but not everybody knows how to get a good swaddle that will stay secure without constricting the baby's breathing. Introducing the swaddle blanket for dummies...Summer Infant SwaddleMe. These are great and come in different fabrics for different seasons. Tyson was even able to swaddle Trapper!



13) Bottles were not used much in my house, but not for lack of trying! We went through about 7-8 different types before finding any that Trapper would take. Our favorites were Dr. Brown's. These worked great when Trapper was still really little and got gassy from time to time. We also liked Nuby silicone bottles and Tommee Tippee bottles are very similar. The last 2 are shaped more like the breast and work great for nursing/bottle babies (If they will take a bottle at all!)




Now for the items I wish I had had with Trapper...



1) Summer Infant Velboa Snuzzler...this just looks like a cloud! I wouldn't need it for our car seat, but would have liked it for the stroller for when Trapper was littler.



2) JJ Cole Bundle Me...I would still like to order this the the Toddler sized Lite version. It would be perfect for the stroller to keep him warm in the fall and winter without having to worry about dropping or running over a blanket. Come to think of it....I may just have to go ahead and get one!!



3) Aden + Anais Swaddle Plus Wraps 4 pack. These are large muslin blankets that are great for swaddling. They are thin and breathe so baby doesn't get hot and sweaty. These, however, are on the pricey side and also require knowledge on how to swaddle.



4) I just found this nifty item online...don't know much about it, but seems neat and worth a try. BabyBond Slurp & Burp Nursing Cover. This keeps you covered while leaving baby uncovered and makes it so you don't have to have expensive nursing tops.



These are my top picks for baby items and if you have any questions about these or other items please feel free to ask!