Oh my. What am I getting myself into?

So Mr. C & I are probably about three months behind on the "New Year's Resolution" thing for 2011. I think it means more if it happens in the middle of March on a Wednesday, don't you? So on Wednesday, C & I headed to our local gym. By "local", I mean the newly built gym down the corner from my house. By "down the corner", I literally mean we live behind a Sonic, an AutoZone, and this gym is on the corner of the intersection by our house. I could walk there and make it in five minutes if I were walking at the pace of a turtle. It is super convenient.

C has been determined to join the gym for months now. I mean, he has talked about that gym since it opened. "I should join that gym," he'd say. "I want to get this weight off," he'd comment. "I'm getting old, I need to work out again." On and on.

We got some money for Christmas, and it has been sitting around waiting to be spent. Finally, C says, "Let's go look at that gym. Take a tour. I want to join." What were my thoughts, you may ask? I had no desire to join any gym, because I'm happy just to sit on my caboose and do nothing. Until (cue dramatic music) I had a baby.

Nothing will mess with your body/self image like a pregnancy. But, I'm not gonna lie. My baby weight came off in a snap. In fact, I actually lost more weight than I gained. So I am ten pounds lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight. Yeah, go ahead and hate me, but I've always been pretty petite.

Anyway, clothes just aren't fitting like before. It's like the luggage (aka weight & skin) is inside of the overhead bins (my sad excuse for a body), but since pregnancy the luggage in those bins have shifted to all kinds of weird places. I need some toning up, and I want to make sure to keep the weight off long term. I like that new number on the scale, but what I don't like is redistribution of all my pregnancy. My stomach could be a temperpedic mattress. I'm not kidding you. You'd fall asleep in there and never come out.

So, I went with him to tour it not intending to join it. I mean, I'm a new mom. I have no time to work out. Who will watch my kid? 1. I am not working. 2. My husband is home during the day time since he works nights. Then upon touring the gym, guess what I see? Every workout machine has its own tv with cable. You're going to think this is super sad what I'm about to type.

I was halfway sold because I could come work out & watch HGTV. I'm an HGTV addict, but alas, we don't have cable. I don't regret our decision to cut off cable (four years ago) because I make so much better use of my time now. However, is it sad to want to work out not only to get healthy but to also watch a tv network?

At any rate, it is only $15 a month for unlimited use at a gym that is open 24/7. Can't beat that. So, here's hoping that I'm entering into a new phase of physical fitted-ness. =)

God is so good.

I just wanted to post a little update on random things that have been happening around here in Casa Confident world. I'm in a bullet point mood, and I don't really have new pics to speak of...sorry. But sometimes I just like to blog to remember for later on down the road.

1. Maternity leave has currently been extended until April 11th. That is quickly approaching, and we prayed extensively that the Lord would provide for me to stay off as long as possible while Micah is small. Well, ask & you shall receive! Literally, checks keep arriving at our door for random things--mortgage rebates. Who gets a rebate on your mortgage? Apparently we were overcharged. Then we got a check for our wellness appointments. Um? Yup, every "preventative" care we took (Micah's visits), we are getting the co-pays back.

2. It's the little things, but we ran the numbers last night. I can probably stay off until next school year! If you are counting, Micah will be around 9 months old next fall when I return to work. How awesome is that? I may still return to work in late May so that I can pack up my things, make a little money for the summer, & ease back in while the kids are bouncing off the walls. However, I don't HAVE TO. Thanks to the Lord, a like minded frugal husband, & some Dave Ramsey. (We are basically debt free except for the house and some student loans which in today's America--that is almost debt free).

3. The weather is amazing. Absolutely amazing. I'm just rejoicing in God's creation right now. I love taking Micah on walks especially to Shelby Farms & The Greenline (an awesome trail by the river & through the woods. Just lovely for city dwellers like me).

4. We are joining a church. It's a personal (glad to share in person, but not on a blog) story, but we felt called away from our church last May. We have absolutely nothing against our old church, and we deeply miss our friends from our old church. However, when the Lord asks you to do something no matter how difficult...you listen. At any rate, during this major life change (aka Micah), it was hard to not have a home church. We've floated a lot, but I am now thankful for that. We went all over our city, and even visited nondenom churches as well as other denominations. Mr. C & I did not want to follow the crowd to churches, and we wanted to make sure the Lord was center in our decision. It was nice to reaffirm what I believe and WHY I believe it on my own by looking at other denominations. (This changing denominations is a whole other story in itself for another day. However, I am fully Baptist and now know WHY I am. I needed to make my parents' faith my own. Sad I'm doing it this late in life, but better now than never). Anyway, Sunday night Mr. C & I finally decided where the Lord had us. It's so nice to know that I can rest now. Micah has a place to call "home", and that has been so important to me.

5. While looking around at churches I discovered how many churches are compromising these days. I mean, it is super ridiculous! I knew some churches compromised, but it feels like most churches instead of just some.

6. Micah has now officially gone to the nursery by himself at our new church. This was really hard on Mr. C because we're admitting the months are just flying by. However, I think it will be good for us both spiritually as Micah is now at the cooing/loud age. He likes to hear his voice, and he uses it often! =)

7. Micah started really concentrating on playing with his toys this week! He has been batting at his toys, but he is trying so hard to get them in his mouth. He also played with his piano this week. (A gift from his KayKay). He was hitting the keys. It was probably an accident because his aim isn't that great, but I think he actually saw the relationship b/w the lights with hitting at it.

8. We (and yes, my husband agrees so I'm not being vain in saying this) keep seeing glimpses of my personality in Micah. I'm not really happy about that since I'm the uptight one of the relationship. Mr. C is laid back & chill so naturally we want a laid back child. However, Micah has demonstrated his ease of frustration when he tries to get toys in his mouth. The child wails if he can't find the hand/eye coordination to place it in his mouth RIGHT NOW. Also, he makes some wicked facial expressions that are priceless. Unfortunately, this is also a technique of his mother. I have never been able to hide my feelings about anything. I'm an open book. We've also noticed he gets flushed easily when hot or seemingly "angry" about something. Geez. That is me, too. Also, he is a great sleeper. I'm the butt of all family jokes because I can sleep anytime, anywhere. I hope there is not a mini-me on our hands!

9. This quick post has gotten entirely too long. Bless you if you are still reading it.

10. Just because I like even numbers, I won this giveaway over at Bek's blog! Thanks, Bek! I am so excited! Now to narrow down what I want to buy!! Decisions. Decisions.

Play us a song, piano man.

It's no secret that I played piano for a looonnnng time. In fact, I should be playing more. I'm awful now because I never really practice, the piano needs some tuning, and I don't practice that much. Anyway, my mom got Micah a piano toy for Christmas. He finally took an interest in it this week. I dunno. Will you be a piano man, Micah? You seem to love it for now! =)

Splish splash I was taking a bath on a Saturday night.

Know that fifties/sixties song "Splish Splash?" Yeah, I can't remember all the words, but that is where my super creative title came from. Aren't you proud? Anyway, it had been a little while since Keren (my sister) had gotten to spend some time with Micah since she's been out of town for work. So she dropped by with my nephew Ebin tonight while Jason was out at his guy's night playing Poker. I hope he won big! :)

Anyway, Ebin played on the "playground" in our backyard...meaning, the swing set. We were lucky enough to have one left in the yard by the previous owners. Hard to believe we've been here six years, and we're finally gonna get some use out of it by our own child. We let the kids play outside, C grilled out for us (his awesome burgers, homemade french fries, and a blooming onion & sauce), and Ebin got to swing in Micah's future swing. After we ate, Micah was getting fussy (because it was way past his 6:30-7 pm bedtime). To keep him at bay we gave him a bath because he always perks up in the tub. What follows are some of the absolute cutest pictures I think we've taken of him yet. Way to go, Keren! :) Enjoy our super exciting Saturday night! (My how your life changes when you settle down with the kiddos.)

PS I have tried to edit the pictures, but for some reason it copied several twice! If I delete them, then I delete both pictures. I'm too lazy to fix it tonight, and I'm just going to post it as is for now.

Keren & Micah with his ridiculous get up to keep him warm. It was a great day, but it started getting chilly as the sun went down.

This is about when Micah starts fussing, Ebin starts saying "NO PICTURE", and Keren continued to smile as Micah pulls her hair. Pictures with children. Gotta love it, but it makes me laugh!

Ebs helping Micah with his bath.

Micah says, "Mama is so funny when she gives me a bath!"

Micah loves his bath time.

Smiley.

I also just love my washcloth!

Laughter is the best medicine! I forgot how tired I am!

Double picture time...

Oh well. Who doesn't like this cuteness?

Shake, rattle, and roll.

Guess who started playing with his rattle today? I did place it in his hand, but he knew just what to do with it on his own! What a big boy!

A woodland themed birthday party.

This week over at Kelly's Korner, they are talking children's birthday parties! How fun! Now Micah is nine months away from being one year old, but how much fun it is to think about his party. His nursery is done in a woodland animals theme, so I googled "woodland themed birthday", and I came up with this link. Ok, that is amazing! Did you go look at it? I picked a few of my fave things from the internet that would be fun to incorporate in his future party. I have a long time to think about it, and I might change the theme. All I know is that I really hope to at least decorate his cake. I'm in search of some cake decorating classes in the Memphis area. Leave me a comment if you know of somewhere good to go. On with the birthday party inspiration.

I think it would be fun to use a super cute invitation like this:

Um, yeah. Words can't describe the creativity behind this table! Micah was born in late November, so no way no how is there going to be an outside party.

Things I love about this:
1. Adorable mushrooms as a centerpiece.
2. The blue cake plate really brings your eye into the table.
3. Don't even get me started on those grass silhouettes. To die for.
4. I love the gigantic banner in the tree, too. I also like the tree!

Up close of the table above.
Tree stump cupcake stand. LOVE.
I think those mushrooms look easy enough to create. I'm thinking tube socks sewn together with some batting? Not that I know anything about sewing.

I found these little return address labels on Etsy. How cute! Wouldn't they make great cupcake toppers, too, though?

I found these grass place mats on Etsy, too. How fun would that be for the kids? Or maybe for use under a centerpiece of the table? Or under the cake? Oh, the ideas are endless...

Also on Etsy--Centerpieces in cute little buckets

This lady actually had a tree as her centerpiece. Her husband Cut. It. Down. INSANE-ly cute!

A tree stump cupcake stand.

Now this is just fun, although it has nothing to do with a woodland theme.
Balloon wreath for the door! I bet this is relatively easy to do, right?

This mom designed her own backdrop for her daughter's birthday party. I thought it was really cute and easy to do with just a big roll of green butcher paper.

Then I found this blog revealing another amazing party for a little boy. Here are a few of my favorite shots from that post.


And here are some other fun links:

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

Well, a girl can dream. We'll see what I am able to come up with for Micah's birthday later this year. Much, much later this year!! Glad I have plenty of time to think about it, though!

Da bears.

We went to the zoo today with our friends the Beauchamps. Let me tell you, today was not really the day to go to the zoo. It was misty, rainy, slightly cold, BUT we had the place all to ourselves. It was really nice to actually get out of the house, and we had a great time. It was also nice (well, I'm assuming since my kid doesn't run yet) to let the kids run loose while the adults got to have some talking time. I brought my camera, but I forgot the correct memory card. Doh! So I only took these four pictures (literally) because I couldn't bear to part with some of Micah's pictures. I am that mom. I will hoard memory cards instead of deleting the pictures. You never know, right? Anyway here are the four wonderful pictures of our day.

Hannah & Anna Marie with the polar bear.

Somebody is sleepy.

Hannah & Anna Marie ride a cow.

Mrs.Tami is explaining something to the girls. Poor boys...See the strollers in the left corner of the shot? Yeah, that is Beau & Micah.

Three months!

Micah, you are three months old! (Actually, a little older, but I'm running behind.) We can't believe how fast these months have flown by! So what have you been up to?

Height & Weight

You were weighed near the end of February, and you were 13 lb, 14 oz. Your height was 24 and 1/2 inches which is kind of amazing to your father and me. Are you going to be taller than Mommy by third grade at this rate? Probably! You are in the 75% for weight and height.
Sleep Patterns

You are a pretty good sleeper! In the past week, you've changed your schedule much to Mommy's chagrin. However, I still can't complain that much. Most nights you go down around 7:30-8:30 after taking your bath. You go straight down when I turn on your mobile, Mommy Bear (womb noises), fan, & your music and motion soother. I think there might be noise overkill in your room, but it works so I keep doing the same thing!


Eating Habits

Obviously, you are a fantastic eater! You are so big, I can't believe how much you eat! You still eat every three hours, and you usually go 4 hours between feedings if you take a good nap. The key is getting you to take a good nap. I'm hoping to start spreading those feedings out closer to every 3 and 1/2 hours as you get closer to four months old. For now, we do a combo of on demand feeding & scheduling. Although, the schedule is usually when you're hungry.

Your Accomplishments

You've gotten really good at clasping your hands together and putting them in your mouth. You try to grab some toys on your play gym. Mommy has witnessed you grab Mr. Rooster on several occasions to gnaw on him. You are currently playing with your bibs, too. You like to try to shove those (and blankets) in your mouth. You are wearing Size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothing, as well as 6 month clothing depending on the brand. We're still working on tummy time and holding your head up. You hate it, and I keep making you. However, you just put your head down, give up, and cry. I know in time you'll get it! We've also witnessed you unknowingly roll halfway over. If you have the right momentum from kicking your legs and arching that back--we think it might happen soon because you are super alert and active!

We love you, Micah! This has been a wonderful, wonderful three months with you!!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

Easy enchildas.

I don't cook. Nope. I don't. Mr. C is the primary cook in this family of three. I'm afraid Micah won't journey home for hours from college wanting "Mama's good cookin'" because...

I stink at it.

However, every so often I hit upon a recipe that I can do. When I do, I make it over and over again. I'm about to share with you one of my favorites, ok? I didn't take any pictures or a step by step tutorial, but if you are looking for a new recipe that is easy this is the one to try. I also love this recipe because most days I have this on hand in the pantry.

Ingredients:
Enchilada seasoning packet
1 & 1/2 cups water
1--8 oz can of tomato paste
1--can cream of chicken soup
1--can cream of mushroom soup
1--can of Rotel tomatoes
1--package of LARGE tortillas
1 lb of ground beef (although I'm sure you could use chicken or ground turkey)
Shredded Mexican cheese

Fix meat and drain. Follow instructions on the enchilada seasoning packet. Add cream of chicken soup and cream of mushroom soup to the simmered enchilada sauce while hot. Mix thoroughly. Drain Rotel tomatoes and mix into the sauce. Pour 1/2-3/4 of sauce in another bowl, add meat (the directions say to add meat to the sauce, I do it all at the end) & cheese (however you like the cheese--heap it if you like tons of it melted into your enchildas). Spoon sauce into tortillas, roll tortillas and place the seam side down in the pan. It should make about 8 large tortillas. Pour remaining sauce over the top of the tortillas, sprinkle with cheese as you like. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees (depending on your oven). Serve & enjoy!

Just another manic Monday.

On Saturday it was super duper rainy day so we stayed in, and we laid around a whole lot. Micah was confused by how dark it was, and he slept a lot!

On Sunday we headed to church followed by a trip an hour or so south to see Mr. C's family. I made Mr. C pose with me & Micah for a family photo op while were dressed up. We enjoyed some great times with my in-laws, and they enjoyed seeing Micah.

Our little family.

Today, we did our basic Monday things. (Basic Monday since I've been off things, anyway). Mr. C is off on Mondays (he works Saturdays), so it becomes our day of errands and family time. I started out the day dressing Micah in his outfit from Ms. Julie. (Shout out to Ms. Julie, my friend from growing up at church & college days). He christened the outfit with spit up almost immediately, Ms. Julie. Aren't you proud? It is a little too big for now. However, I couldn't resist the hat!

I'm not sure that Micah likes the hat.

Just kidding! He's a bit tired from his overactive day yesterday. Long naps don't seem to happen in Grandparent Land. That, and he gets held for hours on end. When he gets home, and I put him down it's like his system is in shock. What? You won't hold me 24/7?? You terrible mother!!

You'll be ok, Micah, I promise.
Maybe not??

The rest of the day was spent:

Putting couch cushions to put back where they belong.

Picking up cups.

(Speaking of which, I could have used the time to take a picture of the cups to actually pick up the cups. This pic is actually photographic proof for my husband. He leaves cups everywhere, and I'm always telling him how bad it is. He doesn't believe me. Exhibit B.)

Unloading old dishes so new dishes could be reloaded.
How do two people (Micah is breastfed, so it isn't him!) go through this many dishes each day??

Shopping for groceries, and then putting groceries away.

And fixing dinner. Of course, Chef Micah did a great job with the enchiladas.

Just another Manic Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Have a great week!