Dilemma

Obviously, my blog has been neglected since the arrival of Mr. Mason.  I don't have as much free time as I once did and what free time I have, I have not been wanting to blog much.  Not because of lack of blog topics -- having a little one creates A LOT of blog-worthy moments -- but because I want to protect our child.  
It is sad to say, but we live in a very "open" and a very creepy world.  While I love social media and totally understand its value, I do believe we have to set our own boundaries to protect ourselves and more importantly, our children.  There are weirdos out there who troll the internet and steal pictures and republish them as their own.  I won't even go into some of the other "gross" things that I hear happen, but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
Recently, I heard a story from an acquaintance who had found out that some of her pictures of her daughters had been stolen from her blog and used on someone else's blog, without her permission.  It was very shocking for her to find out about this and created some panic.  Rather than shutting down her blog completely, she started to watermark all of her photos to help deter people from stealing them.  I mean come one....that is a going to a lot of effort just to keep weirdos from being weird.  Props to her, and I'm certainly not judging anyone else who chooses to post photos, but it has definitely gotten us thinking about what we post.  
So after much discussion, we have decided that we will no longer post pictures in "public places".  That means we will not be sharing them on our Twitter or Instagram accounts and I will no longer be posting pictures on my blog.  I thought about taking my blog private so I can still share, and I still might do that someday, but since I haven't been blogging that much lately I decided it would be a lot of effort to approve readers, provide passwords, etc.  Some popular bloggers have copyright clauses on their blogs and have legal terms and conditions to allow them to fight back if any of their content was every copied, but again, I'm not a big time blogger so I do not want to go to those extremes.  
I know a lot of my readers are friends and family who we are connected to on Facebook and since we can control who sees our content on Facebook, we will still be posting occasional pictures in that space.    I also have a private space where I post photos and updates on Mason and I'd be happy to add anyone to that list if you are interested.  Just send me an email or leave a comment on my blog.  
Hopefully, you will all continue to check out my blog for the latest recipes, and other happenings in our life.  I've always felt like my blog didn't have much direction, so maybe this will help stir my creativity again.  
Thanks for your understanding!

Birthday Dinner Recreated: Creamy Orzo with Roasted Shrimp

Last night I recreated my birthday dinner (see point number 3 here) that I thoroughly enjoyed at Yia Yias this past summer.  I've been thinking about it since then and finally decided to try to make the recipe at home.
I started with this creamy orzo recipe that I found on Pinterest.  I did not use spinach but I did use frozen peas, corn and roasted tomatoes.  When I combined all of the ingredients at the end, I had to thin out the sauce a bit with chicken broth -- it had gotten a little too pasty.  I also topped the orzo with cajun roasted shrimp. 
I wish I had snapped a picture but it was like a race to the finish line to get dinner on the table and eat while we trying to stretch Mason out before putting him in the tub and getting him ready for bed (this time change has been a little tricky!).
Here is my recipe in its entirety:
Creamy Orzo with Roasted Shrimp (adapted from familyfreshmeals.com)
For the orzo:
1.5 cups orzo pasta2 Tbsp olive oil, divided2 cloves garlic, mincedsalt & pepper1 pint of half and half (or a little more)3/4 cups grated parmesan cheese1.5 cups frozen peas
1.5 cups frozen corn
1 container cherry tomatoes2 scallions, thinly slicedchicken broth to thin sauce

For the shrimp:
1 pound raw shrimp, with the shells on
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
cajun seasoning
In a large pot of boiling , salted water, cook the orzo until al dente, 8-10 mins drain.

Meanwhile, place tomatoes in a shallow pan, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

While the tomatoes are roasting, prepare the shrimp by peeling the each shrimp and leaving the tails on. Pat the shrimp dry and place on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with cajun seasoning.  I just used a bottle that I had in our cabinet.  Place the shrimp in the oven when the tomatoes have five minutes left on their cooking time and roast for five minutes -- be careful not to overcook the shrimp.

Meanwhile in a large deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat add the garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook until just softened, about 30 seconds.

Stir in half and half and 3/4 cup parmesan cheese and simmer, whisking often, until just thickened, 2-3 mins.  


Stir in the cooked orzo, peas, and corn, season with salt and pepper.  Continue stirring until peas and corn are warmed through.  Add roasted tomatoes and stir gently. 

Top with roasted shrimp and enjoy.

I served this dish with a tossed salad and we were both happy and stuffed!

Lately...

• ...my dear ol' blog has been neglected.  I have had so much going on with wrapping up my job at the Chamber, to transitioning to my new job as a full-time mom, to adjusting to my part-time job, to enjoying my time with the little guy, to weekends with family, etc. etc. that my blog has honestly been the last thing on my mind.  
• ...we celebrated Halloween with the cutest puppy you've ever seen!

• ...we have been LOVING watching the Cats this season (I mean, we LOVE every season, but this season has been especially fun!).  While Mason and I have not ventured to Manhattan yet, Brandon has gone up a few times.  And of course, Mason is a true Wildcat fan!!

• ...the Fall colors around here have been amazing!  We have loved watching the trees in our yard change colors.  What we have not loved are the leaves that we Brandon have to pick up.

{This pic was taken through our window and our neighbor had just mowed up his leaves...}

• ...I have made a couple of tasty recipes!  These Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies were AMAZING and Brandon gave this Jalapeño Popper Dip two thumbs up!  Funny story about the dip.  I had made it for our Tuesday night Bible study group and put it in the oven to bake while we met and when I came upstairs to take it out of the oven I realized that I never turned the oven on.  So, we had M&Ms for a snack that night.  Oh well...at least our friends can laugh with me!
• ...we visited Megan and Kevin and their sweet boys in Oklahoma.  We had not been down there in a LONG time and we wanted to have have Megan take Mason's six month pictures and our family pictures.  Of course, the pictures turned out amazing (the picture of Brandon and Mason melts my heart!) and we had a wonderful time hanging out with our two little families :)   Here is a pic of our three boys (who would have ever thought we would have three boys between the two of us?!?).

Well, I think that is all for now.  I need to ease back into this blogging thing :)

Six Months! Half of a Year!

Wow!  It has been a long time since I've last posted.  Needless to say, time is flying by!
Little Man is getting so big!!  Everyday he is learning something new or doing a new "trick".  This month has seen a lot of changes:

Stats:  Our six month checkup is scheduled for later in the month.  We actually showed up at the doctor's office on Tuesday and were greeted by all of the nurses and office help looking at me with blank stares.  As I announced we had a 3:30 appointment they basically told me that no, I did not have an appointment.  Apparently, the doctor is out of town and I wrote down the wrong date...oops!  We are guessing Mason is close to 18 pounds now.  I think his weight gain has slowed down a little bit.  He is in between 6 and 9 month clothing and is wearing a size 3 diaper.  He has the cutest little rolls on his thighs and the chubbiest cheeks that just beg to be squeezed!  The biggest change this month is that he got TWO teeth -- the bottom set.  The teething process was fairly painless, much better than we expected anyway.  We have to be pretty sneaky to catch a glimpse of them because every time we try to look at them he sticks his tongue out.

Eating:  Mason has been doing great on his new formula.  The spit-up has decreased (knock on wood) and he seems to be slightly less congested.  He is taking seven ounces four times a day and then he eats cereal at daycare (even though he still won't eat it for us...stinker!) and he is eating peas and sweet potatoes for dinner.  I've been having a lot of fun making his baby food and he seems to really like it as well!  We tried green beans but we think he had a little reaction to them so we are giving those a break for a while.

{this is a bit of a dramatic photo...he really does like peas...a lot!}

Sleeping:  One of the big breakthroughs this month is that Mason is now sleeping through the night!!!!!  He gets his bath around 7:30 and is asleep for the night by 8:00 or 8:15, after he takes a bottle and we read a few stories, and gets up around 6:00 or 6:15 in the morning.  He transitioned extremely easy without much "crying it out".  

Activity:  Mason is starting to sit up unassisted for VERY short periods of time.  He tends to balance himself by leaning forward and putting his hands in front of himself.  He does pretty good with the boppy around him but still falls over after about a minute.  He is doing so much better playing on his tummy.  We got him a set of soft blocks that he likes to swat at.  He especially likes it when we stack them and he knocks them down.  He still isn't totally rolling over, but he goes from side to side so we are hoping the rolling is coming soon.  He is really starting to crank his head around when he hears us talking or when we come into a room.  He also keeps a very close eye on Koby ;)  He's becoming pretty ticklish.  Brandon is sporting a beard right now and Mason thinks it is hilarious when Brandon rubs his feet against his beard.  

Characteristics:  Mason is still a happy little guy...duh!!  He is really starting to giggle and make a lot of new noises.  He is also starting to mimic our noises and thinks it is pretty funny when we repeat his noises...especially his squawking noise.  We keep trying to catch this on video but he totally freezes when he sees the video camera.  His hair is starting to fill in on top, but he's rubbing a bald spot on the back of his head.  He is also a very flexible and laid back baby.  He seems to handle being on-the-go pretty well and doesn't mind taking a nap in the stroller or in the car.  He is actually kind of the king of cat-naps...I guess he just decides to get his sleep when he can.  He is very adaptable to new places -- friends' houses, the church nursery, etc. -- and doesn't know a stranger!

Events:  This month, Mason attended his first KSU watch party and had Grandma and Papa Brungardt babysit him one day and his Nana babysit him the next day (talk about being SPOILED!).  He also participated in his first 5k with me and his Nana.  The biggest event of the month is that he found out that I turned in my notice at work and will become a stay-at-home mom next week!  We have been praying about this decision for a long time and God really just worked out the details to make this possible.  I will be working part-time from home for a local aviation club, so I will still be brining home a little income.  However, my biggest focus will be Mason!!  I can't wait to spend extra time with him and have the ability to do fun things like go to the zoo, hang out at the park, have play dates with friends, visit daddy at the airport job site, and be here to teach him all kinds of new things.  It is going to be a big transition but we are all very excited!

It's the Happiest Season of All

No, I'm not talking about Christmas (even though it really is the happiest season of all because of Christ's birth).  I'm talking about FALL!!!  Fall is by far my favorite season of the year.  I love the relief that it brings after a long hot summer.  I love the clothes.  I love the fall flavors.  I just love it all around.

 

And today, marked the beginning of fall for me as I savored my first Salted Caramel Mocha of the season (which I believe officially launched on Monday).   Yippee!!

 

 

Yep, that would be a grande size, made with non-fat milk of course :)  I waited in the drive-thru line at Starbucks with about 10-12 other people who I'm sure were just as excited about the fall flavors as I was.  And once I got a good whiff of that baby, I was immediately in a better mood.  If you have not tried one of these delicious treats (and it is a treat at nearly $5) you must try one immediately.  

 

The beginning of September also means I get to start burning my fall scented candles.  My favorites are Leaves and Winter Cabin (saved from last year), both from Bath and Body Works. 

I also know I'm ready for the fall season as I was planning our weekly menu I found myself looking for apple muffin recipes as well as new soup recipes to try.  I must say I'm getting a little sick of summer food -- after all there is only so much grilling we can do.

So if you see me skipping about my day or notice I'm in an exceptionally good mood, you can thank the change of the season!!  Happy Fall!

 

 

 

Playroom Planning

The time has come to transform our dining room (which has never had dining room furniture in it) into Mason's playroom.  The toys are taking over our living room and I know the toys will only multiply and become bigger and we will no longer be able to contain them in the living room alone.  
I have mixed feelings about this transformation because the dining room is actually part of our entryway, but I figure Mason is only going to be little once and when he's grown I can have a formal dining room.  
Thankfully, Brandon's dad has offered to build us a custom toy shelf and to also make us a custom rug from a carpet remnant.  Yes, we are very lucky that he is so handy!  Here is a picture of the shelving unit that he is building, only ours will have one more row of shelves:

Contemporary Kids design by Other Metros Architect ALVAREZ-DIAZ & VILLALON

I'm pretty excited about the big drawers along the bottom to store all of the odds and ends and then he is going to make the shelves adjustable so we can accommodate different sized toys.
I also need to start looking for affordable light fixtures.  I like the bright colored drum pendant that is pictured with the shelving unit but I'm having a hard time coming up with a color scheme that blends with the rest of our house and lends itself to a playroom.  I do like the patterns on these shades, but again I'm not sure about colors.

Same goes with art for the walls - I just don't know where to start.  Here are a few prints that I found that I really like, but none of them really go together, or at least it doesn't seem like they do.

{yes, an ode to Koby!}

{definitely for a boy playroom}

{I like the style of these prints}

I want this to be a very economical makeover so hopefully I can come up with a few good ideas to get this project started.  

A (Major) Brain Dump

I would call this a weekend wrap-up but since I haven't really blogged about "life" lately it is probably a more of a major brain dump...oops!

• We have really been enjoying the cool down that has been happening in our area.  It has been nice to be outside and have impromptu porch gatherings with our neighbors.  We also have taken walks and visited the farmers market without sweating.  I think it is pretty obvious this guy has been enjoying our outings, too!

• We re-planted our front flower bed a few weeks ago.  Our local garden center had all of their plants 50% off so we took advantage of the sale and risked planting the new plants in the extreme heat.  But, thanks to a little good luck and the above mentioned cool down, the plants are doing pretty darn good! 

• We went out do a belated birthday dinner on Saturday (thanks to the worst summer cold ever, we had to cancel our original plans) and I tried a new dish, grilled shrimp risotto, and I can't quit thinking about it.  It was SO good!  The risotto had grilled shrimp, snap peas, leaks, fresh corn and roasted tomatoes.  YUM!  We also had fun catching up with our good friends, which was an extra bonus :)
• We had to move our offices at work to the second floor of our building.  My department was the only department on the main floor, other than our receptionist and our production guy.  While we weren't really excited to move, I sort of like my new office better.  I was able to arrange it how I wanted it and it forced me to organize a little better.  Plus, we have a little better view of the parking lot because we are one floor up and can actually see the sky now...you have to look for the positive in things, people!
• Brandon was chosen as the project manager for the new airport terminal.  He is both excited and anxious -- excited because it was an honor to be chosen and he gets to be a part of a great team working on the largest project in their company's history, but anxious because it is the biggest project in the company's history and because it is a pretty high profile job.  This will be his only job for the next two and a half years so needless to say, he will be pretty focused for a while.
• I made peanut butter rice krispie treats this weekend.  I don't know why, but they sounded good and they were/are so yummy!! 
• I CAN'T WAIT for Fall.  Like absolutely can't wait.  I love the weather, I love the clothes, I love KSU football, I love baking and crock pot meals.  I just can't wait!
• Speaking of Fall and the cool weather as of late, it makes me want to clean out and organize our house.  So much so that one of my coworkers, who aspires to be a professional organizer, is coming over next weekend to help me get started!  
• As Mason is getting older (a whole four months!), he is getting more toys and more toys means less floor space in our living room.  So, I think we have come to the conclusion that it is time to turn our dining room into a play room.  I knew this day would come and I'm actually kind of excited to get started.  I've found a few shelving units that I like and I'm searching for kid friendly art that still meshes with the rest of our house because the dining room is basically part of our entryway.  So far, I have not come up with anything...but I will keep looking.
• We had sermon today that talked about spiritual discipline.  It really struck a cord with me and made me realize that I need to get focused on listening to God and spending quality time with him rather than just running to him when we need something.  Okay, point taken.

Well, that is about all for now.  Time to get ready for a new week!

4 Months Old!

I'm a little late posting Mason's 4 month update, but I've got to say, this past month has been so fun!! Mason has really started to develop a little personality and we have been seeing so many changes in him. We had to cancel his four month check up because he had been sick so I don't have his "stats" yet, but once we get the appointment rescheduled I will make sure to update.

Stats: Based on our scale at home, Mason is close to 16 pounds now. I think he has plateaued a little bit in the weight gain, but we will be interested to see what the doctor's scale says. He has filled out so much and seems to change everyday. He is still in 3-6 month clothing but will be transitioning to 6 month clothing soon. He is also still wearing size 2 diapers.

Eating: Mason eats five and half to six ounces of formula about every three to four hours during the day and then has a three to four hour stretch at night. He is still on Nutramigen and is also taking Prevacid for his acid reflux. He certainly lets us know when he's hungry but once he sees the bottle all is right in his world again. His spit up has tapered off (I hope I'm not jinxing us by say that), so burping him has been much more pleasant.

Sleeping: Mason isn't sleeping through the night quite yet, especially the past few weeks since he was sick. Hopefully we can start working on a better sleep schedule soon. However, we aren't complaining because he still generally only wakes up once during the night around 2:30 or 3:00 and then around 5:30 or 6:00 but he will usually go back to sleep after this feeding for a couple of hours, which is really nice for his mom and dad :)

Activity: This has been a big month for his development and activity. Mason has really started to play with his toys lately and will grab for his little toys if we hold them above him. The play gym is still a big hit, but now he grabs and swats at the toys that hang down. In fact, the other day he swung one so hard that it whacked him in the head! He also gets very excited when we put him in his bouncy seat and he just kicks his legs like crazy. He has also really been enjoying all kinds of music. Brandon has found some good Pandora stations that are suitable for kids and we also turn on the radio in his room while we get him dressed or change his diaper. He even likes it when we sing to him! Hopefully this means he will be a musical kid when he's older. He is enjoying tummy time a little more now and has been sitting in his Bumbo chair for a few minutes each day -- the boy has a STRONG neck! He is also on the verge of rolling over. He's been teetering on his side so as soon as he figures out how to shift his weight he will be a rolling machine. Since he found his hands last month he has learned how to use them to take his binki out of his mouth and (sort of) put it back in. It's all fun until he can't get it back in his mouth and then he starts to cry.

Characteristics: Mason is developing the cutest little personality. As you can see in the pictures, he's got a precious smile and the sweetest laugh. He's starting to make a lot more sounds and we find him talking to himself quite often. We've also noticed him really studying our mouths when we talk to him as if he's really trying to figure out what we're saying and how we're saying it. And speaking of studying, he is also starting to really study his surroundings when he's sitting on our laps or hanging out in the Bumbo or high chair. I think he likes the change of scenery :)

Events: This month was pretty low key as far as events go. He had visits from both the Bohn and Gazaway cousins and we made a trip to GC to celebrate Brooklyn's baptism. We also survived our first major sickness -- he and I both got pretty bad summer colds (I'm still battling mine...ugh!) -- and Nana had to come to the rescue so Daddy could go to work. It was nice to have her here to help out and Mason definitely benefitted from the extra love and attention :)

 

   

Even a Mama Needs Her Mama

Little man has been dealing with quite a bit of congestion over the past ten days and it came to a head late last week and into the weekend.  He was feverish and congested and just didn't feel good.  Brandon and I were doing a good job of caring for him together.  That is until Saturday afternoon when I got hit with the bug.  Big time.  It was like all of the sudden my whole body ached, my throat hurt and I was congested.  I went to bed Saturday afternoon -- after I cancelled my pedicure so you know it was real bad -- and have pretty much been down since then.  

{mohawks happen when daddy is in charge!}

Brandon did a great job of taking care of both me and Mason, but by Sunday evening he was ready to call in the backups.  Enter my mama.  She graciously offered to come help out so Brandon could go to work on Monday.  I was trying to keep my distance from Mason so we didn't perpetuate the germ cycle so she took care of him on Monday while I hibernated in the basement.  She took Mason to the doctor, picked up his prescriptions, fixed meals, did laundry and cleaned a little bit.  I'm so thankful for her graciousness and willingness to drop what she was doing to come take care of us.   I'm heading to the doctor this morning to make sure I don't have anything contagious and to hopefully get some meds to help me start feeling better.  It really is not any fun being sick while being a mama.  I miss playing with and snuggling my little guy, but I know he has been in excellent hands!

{Mason and his Nana -- courtesy of Brandon's phone}

Another Pinterest Winner

We needed a quick dinner tonight and Pinterest came through, once again!

Source: laurenslatest.com via Tessa on Pinterest

The only adaptions I made to the recipe were the following:

• We grilled our corn and cut it straight off the cob
• I used the Hidden Valley spicy ranch mix
• I substituted greek yogurt for the sour cream
• We did not use avocado

Brandon gave this meal rave reviews and it was so easy to throw together so I believe it will be finding its way into my recipe binder!

Receiving "The Call" and What The Heck Do We Do Now

**I just realized I have not updated/finished our adoption story, so here is the second to last part.**

After waiting for a few weeks, we did receive a phone call from our birth mom.  She was having a hard time making her decision so she wanted us to know that she was going to email some additional questions that she wanted us to answer.  Excited, we got right to work on our answers.  However, have you ever tried to answer questions that were SO important?  It was not an easy task.  We wanted our answers to be thoughtful and most importantly honest, but in the back of our minds we knew what was riding on these answers so it was very hard not to sensationalize our answers or think about what she might want the answers to be.

So, we did what we had been doing the whole time...we prayed.  We asked God to speak through us and provide us with the words to say.  After much deliberation, we sent off our answers and waited some more.

In the meantime, we decided to work on our house, knowing that IF we were to be chosen we needed to have a few projects crossed off our list.  And to be honest, we needed a distraction to pass the time.

In late January, I was sitting at my desk working away when my phone rang.  It was phone number from the area code in which our birth mom lived and where the adoption agency was located.  Not really thinking it was "the call", I answered it and it was the social worker.  She had a very different tone in her voice than when I had talked to her before.  She went on to tell me she had a meeting with our birth mom that day and she had decided to choose us to be the parents of this precious little boy.  Of course I was speechless.  I vaguely remember saying "thank you" and that I "need to call my husband" in between tears and as soon as I hung up I called Brandon.  I told him the news, which is totally not how I had it playing out in my head, but I was running on emotions.  Thankfully, he doesn't work too far from my office and was able to come over in what seemed like 30 seconds.

If you know Brandon, you know he was already in tears...which I think is totally sweet!  We hugged for a long time, then looked at each other and said "we're going to be parents!!".  We left work early so we could call our families and share the news.  My stomach was all sorts of nervous and my mind just kept spinning.  We had so much to do in such a short amount of time -- we needed to continue reading up on adoption in general, after all it had only been about two months since we found out about the possibility of a baby, so we had a lot of catching up to do.  We also had to start preparing for a baby to enter our lives and our home.

As excited as we were to tell the whole world of our news, we also knew that there was no guarantee we would actually welcome the baby in the end.  That is the part of adoption that is risky and scary.  As confident as we were, there was also a part of us that wanted to protect our hearts since we had experienced so much hurt before.  We were slow to begin our actual preparations -- buying baby furniture and all of the other gear that comes with a baby, figuring out room decor, etc.

About a month after receiving "the call", our birth mom and her parents came to our house to visit and to meet my parents.  Again, we were nervous about how everything was going to go down, but it couldn't have gone any smoother.  We had a great time getting to know one another better and it built our confidence.  During their visit, we were fortunate enough to be able to attend a sonogram with our birth mom.  It was so amazing to be able to see the little guy and hear his heart beat.  He kept hiding his face as if he was telling us he wasn't so sure about us, but it was still amazing none the less.  It wasn't until after that visit that we really started feeling like this was all very real.

Over the next couple of months, we started to gather gear for the baby and make plans to welcome him into our lives.  We had to research insurance issues, find a babysitter, make plans for me to be away from work, find a new car, etc.  A lot of things to cram into a few short weeks.

When the first part of April rolled around, we started the waiting game.  The due date kept fluctuating based on measurements and the sonograms so we were on pins and needles just waiting.  Every time our birth mom called we kept thinking it was go time so she started prefacing her phone calls with "it's not time" or "this isn't the call".  Finally, her doctor decided he would induce her on April 12, which brought some relief to us knowing we wouldn't have to drive three hours in the middle of the night while she was in labor.

On Wednesday, April 11, we made the most important drive of our lives.  We were on our way to get our son!!  Here are a couple of pics that we took to document our trip:

{Koby staring at the car seat not really knowing what is about to happen to his world.}

{The proud dad-to-be!}

{Woo Hoo!!}

{Yep, that is Koby IN the car seat...jealous much?!?}

I'll be back with one more installment...hopefully sooner rather than later :)