Breaking New Ground

as usual

2012-02-21T16:32:00.001-08:00

Just like always we have been busy little bees around here. Still in full potty-training mode with Kai and he's decided to add furniture-climber to his resume. We did a little furniture switch-a-roo last night which helped keep him off of the low dresser/changer at nap time, but he's still tempted by it in the playroom/Desmond's nursery. Yes, the playroom is basically Des' nursery now. The crib

Malakai + Desmond: growing boys

2012-02-17T10:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've done a comparison of my boys, and since I have to share Desmond's well-check stats from his 4 month in contrast to his 2 month appointment, I might as well see how he compares to Malakai at this age. First, one small thing that I love about our pediatrician's office is that they take a photo at every well check. I take my own photos all the time, but for some reason

Thankful on a Thursday

2012-02-16T21:03:00.000-08:00

Here we go again, another sickness making its way through our house. Thankfully Kai has stopped coughing and my sore throat isn't getting worse, just lingering. Little Des is teething like crazy which means nobody is getting a full night's sleep around here. I'm really hoping for some relief for him and rest for all. Yes, once again I'm blogging about sleep...or the lack of. Yet this week I'm

apple salsa + a culinary tip

2012-02-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

When Ben had to avoid just about every food on the planet, one of those was tomatoes. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal because he doesn't like them, however, the man loves salsa. Coincidentally, I came across a recipe via facebook post from Our Best Bites (who I won my Cuisinart Ice Cream maker from). Their recipe actually focuses on the main dish, but I was really only interested in the

why today is awesome...

2012-02-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

Parenthood has a lot of ups and downs, not even just within each month or week but literally within a 5 minute span you can have some of the most amazing moments with your children quickly followed by some insanely challenging ones. Can I get an amen mama's + daddy's? Anyway, today has had just as many joys as challenges, just like any other day. However, there have been enough significant happy

Desmond: 4 months

2012-02-10T22:30:00.000-08:00

At 4 months Desmond is a very social baby. It's so easy to make him smile and laugh, I spend most of my day being a goof ball just to hear him giggle. He wakes up in the morning talking and cooing away, just completely happy. He loves to watch other people, especially big brother Malakai. Kai has also just noticed that he's being watched and takes to entertaining Desmond. He's also been much

Thankful on a Thursday: sleep

2012-02-09T15:17:00.000-08:00

Sleep has been a big issue in our house recently. Malakai is having a hard time taking naps. At 2 1/2 I'd question whether it was time to stop taking naps and just transition into quiet time in the afternoon BUT kiddo can't keep his eyes open after about 5:30. Last week he fell asleep reading books just before dinner and then again at the table. Last night really took the cake. Kai refused to

Kai's Quotes + Anecdotes

2012-02-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

I've been keeping track of the things Malakai says and does on a piece of paper on the fridge, we've compiled nearly two pages over the past few months. We obviously don't get it all on there, but when we remember we jot them down so we can look back on them. Just this past week he's had a couple sweet and funny moments that I wanted to share. Over the weekend we were riding to Grandma +

hanging clouds

2012-02-07T17:06:00.000-08:00

This morning at work I spent my time cutting out hearts, sticking checkered bunting to a table, and hanging clouds from the ceiling. These are the fun things I get to do during the week as part of my job directing part of the children's ministries at my church. I am so blessed to have a job that a look forward to going to each week, even though it means working on the weekends and being utterly

two blogs

2012-02-06T15:52:00.000-08:00

I have such a hard time keeping up with just one, but now that I'm also attempting the 365 photo project, it's even more challenging. I also struggle to not update with details on my photo blog and on the other hand, I don't want to stop using pictures on my posts here. I've finished a few other projects and Ben's birthday is behind us, so hopefully this space will get a bit more attention in

happy birthday Ben!

2012-02-02T15:41:00.000-08:00

Today is my amazing husband's birthday. We had a nice lunch out, just the two of us! It was short, but sweet.

where my time goes...

2012-01-30T14:25:00.000-08:00

I've been terrible about updating around here lately. I knew it would happen once Desmond was born, but there's no way I could've predicted just how busy and different life would be. I feel like I have about 30 different projects going all at one time between work and home, all in different stages of "doneness" and all demanding my attention. Nothing demands my attention more than Kai + Des

Thankful on a Thursday

2012-01-26T13:37:00.000-08:00

Wow, Thursday just keeps sneaking up on me. Since working twice as many hours the weeks have just been flying by! I was afraid when I first took on the additional role at work/church that I'd feel guilty about leaving my boys for about 10 hours a week. While I do miss them, I'm so much more productive when they're with grandma or mima that when we're together again I don't have as many other

little lambs

2012-01-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

A friend of ours has over a dozen teensie lambs that need extra care because the sheep aren't caring for them. Liz invited us over for a "field trip" so Malakai could see them up close and even feed them. I was just as excited to see the little ones as Malakai, they are too precious. He was hesitant at first, but warmed up quickly. Liz let him go in the pen with the smaller lambs and try to feed

Thankful on a Thursday

2012-01-19T21:28:00.000-08:00

I've missed my thankful posts the last couple of weeks, but as you can probably tell I haven't really been updating around here as much as I usually do. It started with the holidays and then just compounded after that. Just before Christmas I took on an additional role at my job/church, which means most of my "free time" is taken up by work and household chores. The boys haven't been napping

Malakai 2.5

2012-01-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

Today Malakai is exactly 2 and a half! It's amazing what a difference 6 months has made. He looks so much different, so much older to me already. He has learned a ton over that time as well and his personality develops more and more everyday. Malakai is hilarious, always making others laugh, especially his parents. He says and does some of the most random things. However, at the same time he

dairy-free peanut butter ice cream

2012-01-13T20:43:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've posted recipes around here. Lately I've been trying new ones left and right. About a week ago Ben started a temporary diet, by his doctor's orders. For a month he's to have no dairy, eggs, wheat, tomatoes, or chocolate. I've been doing a lot of research and we've learned that wheat, milk, and eggs are in just about everything! Soy sauce- wheat. Ranch dressing- milk

updated: about us

2012-01-11T21:38:00.000-08:00

I recently realized that my "about us" page hadn't been updated for almost a year. I made a few changes and of course added information about Desmond.

Desmond: 3 months

2012-01-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

As Ben put it, Desmond is a quarter of a year old today. After that statement I told him to never talk to me again. It really put it into perspective for me how soon my baby's first year will come to an end. It's exhilarating and heartbreaking all at the same time. I love having a baby and a toddler, even in the moments that are difficult. In the last 3 months I have experienced some of the most

taking more photos

2012-01-05T16:56:00.000-08:00

Ironically, there are no photos in this post. I just wanted to let you all know that I've started another blog for project 365- a challenge to take and share a photo every day for a year (although I realize that it's a leap year so there are 366 days). I tried to add it as a tab here at Breaking New Ground, but unfortunately blogger doesn't work that way. So I started a new page with a photo

Christmas Recap

2012-01-04T14:27:00.000-08:00

We had a lot of Christmas gatherings over the holiday weekend, in fact we still have one left that got pushed back because of my having the stomach flu. I've been really bad about updating with all the busyness and I don't want to overlook sharing about Desmond's first Christmas! On the 24th we spent the entire day at my in-laws, except nap time. The morning was pretty casual and then after nap

the ups + downs of 30

2011-12-30T10:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know I've only been 30 for a day, but my birthday was full of ups + downs. When Ben had asked me if I had a good birthday it was actually hard to answer him. I'll start with the "downs" so that we can end this post on a positive note. downs: still recovering from the stomach flu. I had a hard time figuring out what to eat to get my energy back because my stomach still feels so

Thankful on a Thursday: today I turn...

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

and I'm thankful for... 951. so many wonderful things that happened to me in my twenties. 952. Desmond's belly laughs. 953. generous and thoughtful gifts. 954. Ben taking care of me and the boys while I was very sick. 955. Christmas gatherings. 956. the boys not getting the stomach flu, better me than any of them! 957. a church that I love, flaws and all. 958. games

out sick

2011-12-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas has come and gone, although we do have one more family gathering. Sadly, I came down with the stomach flu the night of the 26th. Yesterday through facebook and text messages I found out that 8 other family members have it too. Today is better and I'm recovering slowly, trying to rest my dehydrated self and replenish everything I lost yesterday. Now we're just praying that Ben

Thankful on a Thursday: hustle + bustle

2011-12-22T23:02:00.000-08:00

I feel like I've been procrastinating, but really I just have two little ones that need all my attention. This means that 3 days before Christmas we are frantically trying to get the kids to sleep so we can wrap presents and bake goodies in preparation for upcoming celebrations. Whew, the days have gone by way too fast! Still I have so much to be thankful for... 941. a very unexpected +