Christmas time :)

(Wrote this a while back, but couldn't find the camera and was unable to upload pics...)

The past few weeks have been a blur...a wonderful, fun, and very exciting blur!  On a personal note, I think I felt the "Christmas Spirit" more than ever and I believe it's because I am mom. In a weird way, I felt a little connection to Mary when we read the Christmas story this year and I say "little" because I can not imagine being pregnant and having to travel by donkey miles away from home! I remember looking at Blakely throughout this holiday season and just feeling overjoyed. :)  I was so excited for her to experience her first Christmas with our families and, to be completely honest, for her to open all of her gifts, even though I am still trying to find a place for all of the presents we got. ;) I could go on, but I think I will let the pics to the talking.. :)

Christmas Eve with the Rethmeier fam :)

The beautiful dress Daddy bought me before I was born. :) (Can't believe I fit into a 12-18 month size dress!)

The cousins :)

Our first Christmas...it was perfect :)

Christmas Day at the Owens house!

Ah...I love her...Thank Nini and Granddaddy!

Rossy's first buck...the perfect gift from my parents. :)

Spending time with Uncle Tay!

My youngest cousin, Neely, putting her new sock monkey on her daddy. ;)

This past week Kelsey and Nick had a little girl and they named her Shaye. She's absolutely beautiful and we are really excited to go to Indiana this weekend to meet her!! I don't think there is a better way to celebrate the new year. :) We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a super fun New Years! Much love!

Don't get too comfortable :)

I know it seems like every post is about Blakely's eating habits/surroundings/etc, but I just had to share these pics. One of the things I have found to help Miss B eat is getting up and leaving her for a second or two while she digests her foods, at least I think that's why she wants us to leave. ;) Well, today when I came back after leaving her this is what I saw. :)

Uh oh...I got caught...is it okay?

Oh good! Mom's laughing and really hard at that. :)

Now, I can enjoy my cracker while I relax in my chair. :)

Needless to say, I am very thankful Blakely's enjoying herself at meal times!!

Uncle Taylor arrived safe and sound yesterday afternoon and we enjoyed going out to eat, to the mall, and having dinner with the whole family. :) I'm not gonna lie, I wanted to cry, just two or three times ;), when I would see my brothers holding Blakely around the mall, putting hats/ear muffs on her and seeing how joyful they all were. I think she laughed/giggled the entire time!! I just love my family. :)

We're really excited for this Christmas weekend and hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas! Much love to all!

Waffles, Cinnamon bread, and...Chinese food??

Let's just say finding things for Miss Blakely to eat when we're not at home (aka grandparents' homes) has become quite the adventure! Blakely loves it because she gets to eat things I, as a first time mom, would have never known she could have!

For example, I gave Blakely her Saltine cracker in hopes to satisfy her while my family and I ate our Hy-Chi (my family uses this term for chinese food from Hy-vee :) ) dinner. Well, as I went to get her another cracker I heard the whole family yell, "OHHHH!!!" and NOT to my surprise, I saw my ambitious and always hungry daughter grab a handful of Mongolian Beef and Chicken Lo Mein off my plate! Thank goodness she didn't grab the Angry Chicken... Of course, Nini (my mom) felt bad for her granddaughter so what does she do? Give her a piece of cinnamon bread. :)

In addition to finding foods that Blakely will eat, we have had to experiment with the way she sits in her high chair... Is it possible for a 7 month old to be Claustrophobic?? She hates being buckled in, the tray on or any  type of restraint. This weekend we seemed to find out that B simply wanted to be apart of the dinner table action by having her chair pulled close to the table. Needless to say she ate everything we offered her. ;)

Mom, Dad, you finally realized I just wanted to be apart of the action...next, don't be so slow!

Yeah, that's right, I love to eat!

This weekend we also spent time in Winterset celebrating the Johnson (Ross's mom's) side Christmas. It was a blast! Blakely danced with her cousin, Ellsyn and Papa (Ross's dad), played and read books with her other cousin, Shaddy and even made a video with her Uncle D of her laughing at the noises he made with the puppet on his hands. :) I think Blakes will enjoy seeing them all again in just a few days for Christmas eve!

Before we left for this weekend, Ross spent some time cleaning out different rooms in the house. Yes, he's the organizer and cleaner in the marriage. ;) He created a pile of Blakely's stuff she no longer can use... So goodbye swing Blakely would only sleep in, nowhere else, from newborn to 3 months of age, goodbye play mat, Blakely laid in while I mowed the yard for the first time after pregnancy this summer, and goodbye bouncing seat Blakely would relax in while I tried to do various things around the house. :)  

Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and is enjoying the week before Christmas! We will be spending this week enjoying no classes/homework and Uncle Taylor coming home on Wednesday! :)

Pretty sure this is a "no-no"!

I have joked with people about how everything the doctors and nurses tell us to do with Miss Blakely, we have to do the opposite because she just seems to like it her way! See pic below ;)

Yesterday I went to pick up Blakely to give her a kiss, like I normally do, and much to my surprise, she pushed me away for the first time! Ugh, what a weird feeling...not sure if it was because I got rejected or she is now asserting more independence? However, a good friend told me that someday I will enjoy/need her independence, so all-in-all I am excited for this stage of her life (even though she is still only 7 months ;) ) and getting to know her personality. :)  

Last night I had the wonderful, yet eye opening opportunity to observe the amazing women doctors, nurses, staff, etc at the Waukee Christian Free Clinic. It was really cool seeing how the clinic operates and the set-up in the basement of the church. I am really thankful for all that the people do there and the way they are sharing God's love in the community!! 

Well, Blakes and I are off to Target, for the 3rd time this week...I'm pretty sure I spend more time at that place than any other establishment! Yet, I don't really mind ;) Need a few supplies for the crafts we need to finish up and of course, groceries. Here are a few we've done this week, more practice is needed we know but it's been fun. :)

 

They don't call it "The Sassy" for nothin' ;)

Two things that were not taught in our birthing class:

1. Figuring out solid foods for your child may be a difficult process. ;)
2. You will need to find different ways to entertain your child as they grow!!

So I received an email from the parent.com addressing the new solid foods I am allowed to feed Blakely. I love these emails because they always include a food item I had no idea I could give Blakes and she ends up loving it! Well, the new food of the week...TOAST! I still have not figured out the exact size of bites I should give her because they either are too big or too small. So of course I thought, well if I give her a bigger piece that she can't fit in her mouth, she will just chew on it...similar to a toy.  HAHA! Ross and I experienced our first scare with chocking! Although it was an extremely scary incident (I shed a tear or two, which probably does not surprise anyone), Blakely seemed to be fine and continued eating her new found love of toast. :)

"Thanks Mom for the bigger piece of toast."

"I'm pretty sure I can fit this entire piece in my mouth!" (ps. Thanks again, Griffin, for my cute Christmas pj's!)

Oh my goodnight, Blakely is quite the mover and groover, which I absolutely love. :)  The other night, in an attempt to entertain her, Ross found the apparatus, The Sassy, we received from our wonderful friends, the Shislers. :) As shown in the pictures, I just don't think our house has high enough peaks for the Sassy, but we sure had fun watching our little Sassy playing in "The Sassy". :)

"I'm too low to the ground since my feet touch, but I'm having fun!"

It's really noticeable in this pic that Blakely seems to be a little heavy on her left side, since Ross had to help her balance. ;)

                                             

Well, there are not too many times we get the chance to just hang out and do nothing around the Reth house,  so when I found these two enjoying a little R & R time I couldn't resist taking a pic. (Also, notice the resemblance ;) )  Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and much love to all! :)

Blakely looks at the camera...

                                     

Rossy looks at the camera...

Christmas early....thanks Rossy!!

Guess what arrived today at my front door...the Silhouette CAMEO! My wonderful husband ordered this electronic cutting machine that hooks up to our computer for my Christmas gift. It was quite the surprise!! :) After we exchanged our homemade Christmas gifts with his side of the family, I mentioned I would like to do more crafty stuff while I am at home with Blakes and I guess this was his way of helping me begin this new journey. ;) I sure do love him! :)

I have been so blessed with wonderful mother and sister-in-laws. They have such creative minds and were the ones who introduced me to the Silhouette. Kare used the machine to make the onesie Blakely wore when we left the hospital. See pic  :)

One of my first projects using this awesome machine was to cut different colored/patterned fabric into helmets and the letter "K" and applying the heat transfer material to the cut fabric and ironing each piece onto oneies for Kypton. Even though I messed up numerous times and pretty much ruined a vital tool for Karie's machine...it was a blast!  God definitely did not bless me with a creative mind like my in laws, but I am really excited to use the CAMEO and see what fun DIY projects I can complete! Oh, and I would love to share, so if anyone would like to use this awesome machine just let me know!! :)

Lights, Camera...Christmas Tree! :)

This past weekend we did a little Christmas decorating around the house and let's just say it was a hit with Blakely! :)  Christmas decorating has been a HUGE tradition for my family since I can remember. This tradition was even a big hit with my friends in high school...we would spend an entire day helping my family transform our house into Christmas heaven! Well, now that we have a daughter, we must begin our own traditions and even though we may not have near the amount of decorations as my family, here are a few pics of Blakely's first year of Christmas decorating! (I think we would make The Owens fam proud! ;) )

Uuuu...what is this?

Whatever it is...it's better in the mouth!

Love me some Christmas lights :)

Helping Dad put the tree together :) 

Finished product...pretty sure my grandaddy would be proud of my wrapping of the lights around the tree!

We also had the chance to hang out with some really great friends from college this past weekend! All three couples have children now and even though sweet Kypton just hung out/slept in his MamaRoo, it was really fun to see the other kids play together even at the ages of 4 and 7 months. Prior to the get together, Ross and I spent our Friday night using our creative juices and made our friends their Christmas gifts...not sure our products are as great as our ideas... ;)

I want to help with the crafts!

Idea inspired by Kelsey's Christmas gifts to Kare and me. :)

Now that B is 7 months old (blows my mind when I say/type this still...), she is allowed to have three meals a day and let's just say she is in heaven! I'm still trying to find ways of switching foods up for her since the baby food goes bad in 2-3 days, but I don't think she complains too much when she has carrots for 3 days straight...haha! :)

If I eat anymore carrots, I'm gonna turn orange!

Yeah, that's right! Drinking from the sippy cup all by myself!

Well, I think that is about it from The Reth home. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and a great start to the new week! :)

Car shopping already?? ;)

Well, when it comes to Playskool and Disney play cars, Blakely just isn't sure which one she likes the best. :)  While trying to find different ways of helping her move her legs more, I came upon the car she got from Uncle D, Aunt Kare, Shaddy and Ells for Christmas and the car from Uncle Toby, Aunt Tanya, Aubrey, and Neely. The pics show that she seems to get the idea and she actually moved the car by kicking her legs backwards. However, she was quickly distracted by the camera and decided she would rather chew on the camera than drive/ride the cars. ;)

Oh what is this??

I love it!

Another car? Just give me the camera!

Yummy :)

I think I can chew on this? ;)

Last night we visited Kypton and he just melts my heart. While I was putting the pizzas in their oven, Holls and I noticed a pic of us and another friend from college at her bachelorette party and just couldn't believe how much our lives have changed in the last two years!!

Blakely met Hollie and Dan's dogs, Hershie and Tyson while we were there and I really wish I would have gotten some of her facial expressions on camera. All in all though, she did really well.  I think it made Ross really consider getting larger dog. ;)

Well, off to decide on which Christmas card we will order, finish homework and folding clothes while listening to Christmas music streaming on Lite 104.1's website. (Definitely forgot to add Christmas music to my thankful list yesterday! ;) )

So much to be thankful for :)

We are so blessed to have both sides of the family close, especially when holidays roll around. :) I kept joking with my mom that I believe this Thanksgiving's food goes down in the record book because it was absolutely delicious!

Getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner :)

Blakely wearing her grandaddy's hat :)

Thanksgiving table

Thanksgiving meal- minus the sides ;)

After spending a few days with the Owens', we headed to Winterset for the Rethmeier's Thanksgiving/Christmas. Since Aunt Kelsey and Uncle Nick are not able to come back for Christmas, the siblings and children exchanged gifts this past week. This year we all had a limit on gifts...they either had to be homemade, used, or under $10. I'm must be honest in saying this limit completely stressed me out throughout the year, but all of the gifts turned out to be awesome! It has really motivated me to try more DIY projects and crafts. :)

B enjoying her first Thanksgiving/Christmas :)

We were also very blessed to have my dear friend, Susan take our family pics over the weekend. (If any one needs a photographer, let me know because she's super fun and provides a really comfortable atmosphere!) I was a little worried which one to put on here because we're not sure which one to use for our Christmas card, but I just love them and couldn't resist. :)

Blakely and Ross also had the chance of meeting my Aunt Karen and Uncle Wren from Texas. They drove up on Saturday to stay with my parents. It was so nice seeing them...there are so many times I wish we made it down to Texas more often! :)


Well, I need to go finish a pretty large stack of homework, but before I go I thought I would share what I the young pastor who spoke at church this past Sunday suggested. We, I especially, sometimes ask God for so many things and when He provides we often times forget to thank/give Him the glory, except at Thanksgiving time. The pastor encouraged the congregation to live by this simple rule all year round....ask/pray to God, enjoy His blessings, and always thank Him for his mercy and goodness. So here are just a few things I am so very thankful for: :)

God's goodness
My marriage to Rossy
Our daughter (and having a safe delivery!)
Our family and friends
Our country (freedom)
and....Diet Dr. Pepper!! :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Winter Squash...really?

Well, we can now add winter squash to the list of food Blakes likes....for now at least.  ;)  I also allowed her to chew/suck on the apple I was eating today and of course, she wouldn't let me hold it while she enjoyed the sweetness; she had to hold it herself. So independent even at 6 months! (Here are a few picks of her new found chew toy. :) )

After I posted yesterday, I read my friend's blog. Her and her family are currently in the process of adopting two girls, who are sisters, from Ethiopia. And I must be honest, I was humbled by what she shared about her stay in Ethiopia, especially after I blogged about keeping a pair of jeggings for Blakes that cost more than a night at their hotel. I just wanted to include this not to make anyone, including my self, feel guilty but just look around and hopefully see how very blessed we are! God is great! :) 

Well, tonight the Reth fam is going to finish our Christmas shopping since we have Christmas with the Rethmeier's/Livingston's/Mulder's this weekend. I just love Christmas shopping and I'm excited for Blakes to experience it for the first time. :)

Hope this Tuesday is finding everyone super well! Loves!