*trip to minnesota*

So, a couple weeks ago, Makayla and I headed up to Minnesota to celebrate her cousin/my nephew(Noah) turning 2 and her turning 1.  Sadly, Cornell didn't get to join us :(  The price of a plane tickets is just too expensive these days! 

Flying with a 1 year old...I knew it wasn't going to be a relaxing flight, but she did pretty darn good on the way there(the way home is another story).  Beside the guy in the seat across the aisle from us huffing and puffing whenever she cried a little, we made it to Minneapolis in one piece.  But- ended up landing late and missing our connecting flight to Duluth.  Mom didn't want us to have to wait 6 hours in the airport so she hopped in her car to just come pick us up :)

While waiting, we found a wonderful area for kids to play in...Makayla had a great time...

That little red package she is holding in all the pictures is a pack of airline cookies. She likes to carry stuff around, not any of her toys, but things that are much more interesting. 
Socks.
Combs.
Keys.
Packs of cookies.
....you get the picture.
So we made it up to Duluth that night safe and sound.  It always feels so good to just be home and around my family.  Oh how I miss them.

Makayla sure had fun with this little guy...

Noah seriously could not get any cuter!  He is going to be the best big brother.  My heart just melts when he goes up real close to her and says, "HI Kayla...hi!"  So sweet.

I think they took a bath everyday together...hehe.

We headed up to the Aquarium one day...fun for the kids.  Here's Makayla with Auntie Kelly...

 Me and my 2 favorite little ones(Makayla wouldn't give up the keys)!

 Grandma and Makayla...

 Practicing walking with a little help :)

One way to Makayla's heart is with food.  The girl loves to eat!!  So grandpa and grandma were all over that!  Here she is feeling like a big girl at the counter.

 Doing "soooo big!"

Then it was time for BiRThDay PaRTy day! Wonderful to have our family and friends there! 

My mom got Makayla her birthday girl outfit...it was so adorable!  Ruffle butt cupcake bloomers...seriously!!

The paparazzi was even there taking pics...



jk Jord :)

Time for cake. 

 Makayla wasn't really sure about it at first but she ended up digging in...



More family, and my girlfriends came the next day too.  Here's our awesome soon-to-be cousin in law, Cassie...

 My wonderful girlfriends...

 Auntie Cathy made the long trip from Wisconsin to spend the night with us :)

 Auntie Lu and Cassie...

And then a little time outside with Grandpa.

Sad to leave, but we will be back soon(August) plus we were missing Daddy!  The flight home was HORRIBLE, or maybe I should say horrendous.  Makayla had a tantrum while we were taxing on the runway before take-off.  Which means I couldn't move or do anything.  She was screaming, thrashing her body all around, sweating, etc.  It was great.  She has NEVER done anything like that before?  The flight attendant even got out of her seat and came over to say, "is there anything I can do to help?"  haha...um, no.  She just didn't want to sit still. 

Then after I got her calmed down...just to add a little more excitement, she peed all over my lap.  Diaper must have gotten out of place with all the thrashing around during her episode.  Good thing I had black pants on because I just ignored it and pretended like it never happened.  

Calm baby or sitting in pee pants?  I went with not disturbing the calm baby. 





MOM of THE YEAR award

And just like that, it's been over a month since I blogged! 
I have lots to catch up on...our trip to MN, Makayla's birthday parties, Cornell preaching...but, I need to update on Makayla first!  I fear that I will blink and we will be on to the next stage with her :(

So, all you moms know how busy busy busy a 1 year old is.  She isn't walking yet, BUT, she is pushing things, pulling herself up on everything, crawling as fast as she can to her new destination, etc.  Here she is today pushing her baby stroller from Grandpa...

{thanks Kim B. for the cute dress and jeans!}

After today, I now know why God has children go through each mobility stage...not for the child to slowly gain independance, but for the PARENT to prepare for the chaos their life is about to turn into!  Take today for example...it went down in the books for me and my mothering skills. 

First, Makayla almost rolls off the bench at church(I caught her mid-air).  Second, she trys to stand in her stroller WHILE we are crossing one of the busiest streets in town.  Third, we get to the ice cream shop and I take her out of her stroller...only to find her chewing on a old cigarette butt 3 seconds later.  Eew, I still want to vomit thinking about that.  Lastly, she falls off the couch(with me sitting right there by her) and hits her head on the walker and then the floor. 
Seriously!
All in one day!  Nominate me for mother of the year please...

And to think I want more kids...yikes!!  I can barely handle one!  How do moms do it?

All that to say....Makayla is SUCH a joy in our lives.  I love her little giggle.  Her kisses.  The way she hugs me, Cornell, or any of her stuffed animals and says "ohhhhhhh" while laying her head on our shoulder.  She is so loving.
She says BALL, HI, BYE, and of course KEEEEY.  She loves keys.  Not fake plastic keys, only the real thing.  Also enjoys carrying socks around(?).  I have found her numeorus times during the day crawling around with just one sock in her hand.
Yesterday she was touching my feet and saying some type of baby gibberish.  I realized after a couple times of her doing it that she was trying to say "tickle tickle."  Her daddy is always tickling her...so cute to see her try and re-enact it with me :)

Here she is a few days ago playing peek-a-boo with me...

And....PEEK!!

Hehe :)  Silly girl.



Makayla and some green living tips

Do you think this is how Makayla feels?

LOL.

Oh well...since I don't write in a baby book for her, this is the next best thing :)  Yesterday Makayla turned 11 months old, yikes! She is growing and growing.  This past week, her morning naps were 3-4 hours long and then late afternoon naps were about 2 hours.  Can't complain!  We also started giving her finger foods to feed herself.  I'm sure if I read the baby book, I could have done this a couple months ago...but, ya know, she only has 2 teeth and I just thought she needed more to be able to eat stuff?  She proved me wrong.  This morning she had a whole wheat pancake with blueberries and didn't skip a beat trying to get the pieces in her mouth.  Now mommy on the other hand is having a hard time with it.  I watch her like a hawk thinking with every bite she is going to start choking and I will need to do the heimlach on her.  It makes me a nervous wreck?!  Why can't i just puree her food until she's like 13 and has all her permanent teeth? Oh i'm a fun mom aren't I?

Last year at this time, I was looking like this....

HUGE!!! lol...look at that belly!

The size large mens tshirts were getting a bit short towards the end there(don't mind the picture back ground...obviously was at the doctors for a check up!)

So I'm on this organic/all natural kick...and I've been meaning to blog about some of the changes we are doing in the Thomas household to live a little greener.  I have to give Cornell credit, he's been pretty open and supportive of my thoughts and ideas so far.  Although tonight when I told him I wasn't going to wear deodarant anymore, just a little baking soda rubbed on my armpits, he looked at me weird.  haha.  More on that later.

So the first change we have made is the easiest.  RECYCLE.  Unlike in some states(ie MN) we don't have a recycle truck that comes to collect our recyclables every week.  Here, you actually have to choose to recycle on your own and then bring it somewhere that can take it for you.  We found that just bringing it to Walmart and doing it ourselves works best.

Next change was our laundry detergent.  I had been buying dreft for Makayla and Tide for us.  Well I found an earth friendly detergent online that is safe for us(no toxic chemicals) and the environment, and ordered it.  So far so good.  It keeps our clothes clean and soft(don't have to use fabric softener), smells pretty good, affordable, and it works for all 3 of us.  I got it on Amazon for $24.00(4 bottles total) but it looks like it went up in price for right now...

Next change is switching to Organic whole milk from 1 percent milk.  I don't drink glasses of milk during the day...I put some in my cereal in the morning and then have maybe a small cup with lunch or dinner.  So I figure, why not have the most nutrient rich form?  I've read about all the hormones they inject in milk-producing cows to get them to produce more milk faster, and it disturbs me to think about ingesting those hormones into my body.  Plus Makayla will be drinking milk next month and I want her to have what's best.  I really, truely still think that the chemicals(from the fertilizier in the grass the cows eat) and hormones in our milk are contributing to young girls getting their periods at 7, 8, 9 years old.  That's SO young!  I've also heard great things about almond milk, anybody ever try it?

The fourth change...buying organic berries.  I found a local berry farm that took their extra berries from last season and frozen them all.  They were thrilled to have me interested in buying a few.  I ended up getting HUGE freezer size ziploc bags of strawberries, blueberries and blackberries.  Yummmm.  Super great for making Makaylas baby food.

There are more changes that include homemade lotion and cleaner but we haven't used them long enough to give a good review...I will keep you updated(if your even interested)! :)

Mommy advice

One of the best pieces of advice that I can give to moms/moms to be is...

buy your diapers from Amazon!

Seriously. 

Let me show you...

Take a package of newborn diapers. I started using pampers because thats what was given to us in the hospital and they seemed to work the best.  I remember the first couple weeks, Makayla went through about, hmmmmm...10-13 diapers a day I think.  Thats a lot.  Cornell and Grandma Wick spent many days driving to and from Walmart for us. I think we own stock in Pampers now.

Pampers Swaddlers Dry Max Diapers, Size N, 84 Count

So at Walmart...this pack of Pampers swaddlers newborn is about $19 or $20 dollars(last time I bought that size).  Now at Amazon it is listed for $18.76.  But here is the catch...if you sign up for "subscribe and save" and "amazon mom," you get 15% off for each program for a total of 30% off.  Plus free 2 day shipping!  So for this box of diapers, it comes to $13.15 plus tax...That's way better than any coupon.

It.is.great.

The free 2 day shipping also applys to everything else you buy that is fulfulled by Amazon.  So if I order a book or DVD from amazon, I don't pay shipping and I get it in 2 days.  Could it get better?! Lol.
I also order our baby wipes the same way...

Sidenote: I've been researching baby wipes and am slightly scared by my findings... so I think I'm going to try making our own wipes(as soon as I get all the ingredients).  More on that later.  Anyways, tell your friends, sister, coworkers, etc.  It really is a good deal and can save you quite a bit of money over time!

And I am all about saving money!

In other news, Makayla has been really stressed out lately.. as you can tell from this picture...

Just chillin. Watching a little Baby Einstein. In her walker.

Life is rough :)

Makayla's new trick...

Can you tell what they are? Oh yes...teeth marks.  On her crib.

She has started to get her second tooth(on the bottom too) and decided one day after a nap that she would just chew on her crib railing!? I came in the room when I heard that she was awake and found brown stuff all over her mouth.  Yes, gross!  I washed out her mouth immediately, obviously freaked out that she would ingest some of the paint and become sick.  She is fine but now the crib is wrecked.

Any other moms ever experience this?

Lil stinker :)

Have you seen these necklaces all over blog world? I finally made one the other night...just did it baby sized :)  So easy.  Only problem is that I only had black felt which you can see coming from behind the rosettes.  Makayla actually kept it on while I took a few pictures of her.  Usually she rips off anything I put on her that is not a shirt and pants!

And I saved the best for last...

Makayla and I get to come home next month to Minnesota! My parents are having a double birthday party for Noah(turning 2) and Makayla(turning 1).  I'm so excited!  Maybe it will warm up a little bit for us. :)

Walker movement

Short video but it shows how Makayla figured out her walker today :)

And here's one per Grandma's request...

Happy happy love day

I can't say it enough...I love Valentine's day.

But what I really really love is this guy...

Yes I am cheesy and put that heart around our faces :)

So we did our Valentines stuff this weekend since Mondays are such a busy day for us both.

My wonderful husband surprised me with a great gift...

Toms shoes.

Have you ever heard of them? They are awesome.  Comfy and cute, but the best part is for every one pair that you buy, they give a free pair to a child in need! Doesn't get much better than that!  Cornell got a black pair for Christmas and he loves them.  I also surprised him and got him a cream colored pair.

Great minds think alike.

+ Two become one.

=getting each other the same gift for Valentines day.

 We had a super yummy breakfast yesterday.  Ate it so fast I didn't even get to take a picture to put up.

It's called "strawberry stuffed french toast" and it is awesome.  If you like all things french toast-cream cheese-strawberries-powdered sugar...than you will love this.  Here's the recipe.

I also did some cupcake baking but will write on that later :)

Here is my other valentine...

Yeah, mom.  Your crazy if you think I'm gonna wear this thing.

Happy Valentine's Day!