My Baby Turned One Last Week

So yes, the day has come that Savannah-Boo has turned one whole year old! Who can imagine that, certainly not me! Some days it is hard for me to imagine her being here let alone being one! We prayed for this sweet girl and hoped God would give us a daughter half as loving and zealous as she is,,, we kind of hit the baby jackpot ;-)

She had an absolutely wonderful Birthday week and party complete with her Mimi and Grampa coming all the way from South Carolina to spend it with her <3. At her party she enjoyed the apprx 30 people that came to celebrate with her and she was such a social butterfly, but I am not surprised! She had bunches of baby friends attend and they all seemed to have a great time! Of course, my phone died the morning of so I have few pictures but will be receiving some soon. Her party was cupcake themed and was complete with four different cupcake flavors and of course a very special cake just for her. I made them all and was loving every minute of creating them, finally, for my own sweet daughter! I made most of the decor and food myself but our amazing family pitched in too and it went so much smoother! I found some Pinterest tutorials for some decor but a lot was just a vision in my mind of what it should look like. I can't wait for the challenge of the years to come where she can pick her own theme and then I have to figure it out. It's kind of exciting really, for someone who likes to create! 

After the party we were so tuckered out! All of us ;-) But it was a fantastic day that wouldn't be traded for anything, celebrating our precious daughter <3

This was the Fireplace decor. String lights, Scrapbook paper turned streamer banner, and some foam board all decked out!

 Some sweet pictures strung along the ledge in our kitchen. I am leaving these bad boys up for a while! I love looking at them but Savannah gets a kick out of it too!

 This was my Pinterest tutorial gone awesome! A cupcake liner wreath! And I found those sweet gel clings at Target in the $1 section <3 Here's the link for this awesome wreath tutorial: http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/2012/02/cheerful-wreath-from-cupcake-liners.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;amp;amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;amp;amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+ImperfectHomemaking+(The+Com
                                        
This is another ledge in my kitchen that always has Savannah stuff on it :)

And of course my sweet girl on her actual Birthday! Instead of opening her gifts she thought it was pretty awesome she was a "Biggie enough" girl to climb on them. I'll tell ye folks, she sure is a monkey!! 

So there ya have it. I can remember the day of her birth like it was yesterday and I will cherish it in my heart forever. That was the day I became the mommy to the very sweetest, sunshine-y, energetic, dramatic, silly girl in the whole world. Josh and I are having a blast with Savannah and I just couldn't imagine how boring my life would be without her around. Granted, I am sure I wouldn't be so exhausted ;-) At one year old Savannah is 22.5lbs, 31 1/4 inches, and is in size 18m clothing. She wears a whopping size 6 shoe an 2-3T socks. Her days involve, dollies, kitties, laughing, cuddles, Sofia, SNACKS, napping and helping mommy. She loves to go to Grammy and Pappy's, go to the store, cuddle with daddy, play with Sass,  and play with her friends. She just learned how to give real kisses, hug, and blow kisses. She can also walk, get on chairs, climb, brush her teeth, clap, high five, say "sass" and understand many things! She's absolutely blooming into a gorgeous girl and we are so grateful to God for His amazing gifts and timing <3 

"Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children born in one's youth." Psalm 127:4

-Your friend, Alicia :)

Easy Lemon Chicken

Do you love simple delicious recipes? Well so do I! I was making my grocery list the other day when I remembered a delicious recipe I made a few years ago- lemon chicken! I pulled out the card and made it this week and it was just as delicious as I remember! And even better- easy! 4 ingredients!
- About 10 boneless chicken tender cuts, raw
- 1/2 stick of butter
- 1/4 cup of lemon juice (I cheat and use bottled)
- 1 pack good seasonings Italian dressing mix
Wa-la! Melt butter, add everything else, and cook until chicken is tender! It is AMAZING and you could really use any chicken you desire.

How beautiful is that? Paired with some potato salad and a green side salad? Yum! Have a great week!

Hearty Chili

Are you a Chili lover? You are not alone! I just made one of my best batches of chili to date! On a week when our almost 1 year old is having molar teething pain, this bowl of comfort couldn't have happened at a better time :-)

So here ya have it:

-1 large can of plain Tomato Sauce (NOT pasta sauce, simply pureed tomato's) 

-1/4 cup of uncooked Quinoa

-1 large can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained

-1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

-1 pound cooked and drained ground beef

-2tblsp of Chili powder

-1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced small

-A handful of onion flakes

-A dash of garlic powder

-red pepper flakes to taste (I like to let each person add there own due to a sensitive toddler mouth in our household )

I simply toss all of these ingredients into my crockpot on high for 4 hours (or low for 8 hours). How easy of a weeknight dinner is that?!

Here's one satisfied "I love momma's chili" face! :-D

Baby Food- The Fresh Way

Well- my baby girl is 5 months old! Can you believe it? I sure can't! So in honor of this gorgeous summer we are having I thought I'd share with the masses my first attempts at baby food making! So far we have officially made apple/zuchini, banana blueberry, and banana/avocado. Savannah loves bananas and if it was up to her they would be in everything! She truly is my monkey.

To start off- I am a fan and of doing what works for my little Babe- and that is NOT ALWAYS what is recommended by doctors. So this is just me sharing how we do things in the Drake household :)

Savannah has been tasting baby foods since about four months old. I decided it made sense to give her tastes every so often early on so it wasn't a huge shock to her system. We started with easily digested foods like bananas, apples, and avocados. :) studies show that baby cereal actually rots in the stomaches of babes so young because they can't digest grains properly. So after learning this we decided to limit her grain intake. We use cereal a little bit but I'd rather my babe have easily digested and YUMMY foods! Savannah even sucks/gnaws the banana right off itself- I watch carefully to make sure she doesn't get chunks :) So you could say we do a little baby-led eating! She loves her mesh feeder too- that's a great option if you feel uncomfortable with the banana sucking technique!

I love avocado/banana food momma makes!

Avocado/Banana Puree: 1 peeled banana and one scooped out avocado placed into a food processor! Wa-la!

Blueberry/Banana: 1 peeled banana and a half cup blueberries in the food processor!

Zuchini/Apple: cut up pieaces of both (peels on) cooked on med heat for ten minutes with two tbsp of butter. I then poured liquid off and blended in food processor. Once done I strained through a small mesh strainer. Wa-la!

Once all of these were done I spooned into an ice cube tray- froze- and then popped them out and bagged them in freezer. Right now Savannah only eats about one or two cubes worth- so it's great to have the ability to take as many out as needed!

So there ya have it! A foodie glimpse into Savannah's routine :)

Savannah Marie

So it's been just a little while since I have blogged- huh? It's like I had a baby or something! 

So here she is! My sweetest little froggy! Savannah Marie was born 1-14-15 and she came out perfect,flawless, amazing, and all of the other words that mean I'm a mom now ;-) Oh yes- and with huge feet like her momma. Josh tells me while they were cleaning her up a nurse exclaimed "she has huge feet!" I am so smitten on this little girl it's crazy! When she wakes up in the morning I cannot wait to go see her because she is always so happy in the morning. When I get home from work she is all smiles and she just makes life have even more meaning! 

Being a mom is for sure the toughest job I have ever had- but other than the no time off the benefits are pretty good! Savannah is almost three months old and I absolutely love seeing her grow and hit new milestones- there's always something new with this little firecracker! She already has my demeanor but is a spitting image of her daddy! I could count on one hand the amount of people who say she looks like me but that is quite alright because I think her daddy is pretty good looking if I do say so ;-) This girl is SO curious and ever since she was born she wants to see everything, sit up, chew her hands, suck her thumb, lay on her tummy, and sleep a lot! Since being born she has been ahead for her size and at her last appointment her length was 95% so she might just be tall like mommy! I can see some red in her hair in the sunlight but we won't be able to tell for sure til it gets longer- right now it's just pretty brown :-) 

Some things I've learned since my little Savannah came out to meet us:

• Caffeine is so popular because of moms
• Sleep deprivation makes everything more dramatic
• Baby poop is not normal and can totally shoot like a squirt gun
• Bath time is so much fun until it's time to get out- then brace yourself
• Thumb sucking is great because they will never lose it- but then again when she's mad she makes a fist and cannot find it anyway
• Having a baby girl is the best doll you could ever dress up!
• Sometimes the baby's clothes get stained with YOUR food because you're always holding them at first- haha!
• Breastfeeding is hard no matter what they say- but you'll find what works for you
• Your cats will get jealous of the new baby and start acting like lunatics
• There is SO much more laundry just with one baby!
• There is so much more trash too
• Don't get attached to your favorite baby outfit- they'll probably have a poop blowout on it
• Baby girls can get pee all over too- don't think you dodge a bullet with that one!
• Always plan to leave a half an hour before you need to- but you will still be late.
• Being a mom brings more reward than anything I've ever experienced
• Having a great husband is priceless- especially when you just want a shower

So that's just a little bit about my sweet girl and our life as a family of three so far! More updates coming soon! <3

Savannah Marie 1-14-15 7lbs. 5oz. Perfect <3

Flawless

We love being a family of three!

The day I became this girl's momma was one of the best days of my life <3

Delicious No-Bake Cookies

Last night I made some amazing no-bake cookies that have no chocolate in them! Some of the people in my family don't like every dessert to have chocolate in it (yeah-I have no idea what is wrong with them!) so I decided to make this peanut-buttery treat!

You can find the recipe at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/peanut-butter-and-honey-no-bake-cookies/\ and the only thing I did differently was I used smooth peanut butter and if I could do it over again I would use more oats than recommended to make them a little more solid :)

Honey Peanut Butter No-bake Cookies

• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1/3 cup Whole Milk
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup White Sugar
• 1/2 cup Honey
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 cup Crunchy Peanut Butter
• 3 1/2 cups Instant Quick-Oats

1. Combine the butter, milk, white sugar, brown sugar, and honey in a large pot over medium-high heat; bring to a rapid boil for 90 seconds. Stir the salt and peanut butter into the mixture and remove immediately from the heat. Add the oatmeal quickly and mix to combine. Make sure the texture is thick with a little bit of sauce, but not too much sauce. If needed add extra oatmeal.
2. Drop rounded spoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart onto aluminum foil or waxed paper; allow to sit 1 to 2 hours before serving.

It's A Girl!

On Thursday we found out our sweet little baby is a beautiful little girl! <3 We could not be happier! Josh and I were just so happy to find out the gender- we did not care if there was a little boy or little girl in my belly- just so long as it was a healthy baby! (I know everyone says that- but really- it's our first- how picky can a person be? ;) )

Our sweet baby girl's name is Savannah Marie and we know she will be much more beautiful than her name <3 Josh and I really loved the name Savannah and we chose Marie because both Josh's and my mother's middle names are Marie! So Savannah is named after both of her Grammies :) We hope she becomes a super awesome woman when she grows up like her Grandmothers!

Things I have learned while being pregnant with this sweet girl:

• I somewhat thought Savannah was going to be a boy because of how active she is- always jumping around- but I should have known she's just going to be an active little girl like her Momma was!
• All the burping that happens when you are pregnant is really crazy- I think this is an understated symptom!
• The amount of love and gifts we began to receive when we knew we were expecting Savannah is absolutely overwhelming! God is good <3 This little girl is already spoiled with so much love!
• The amount of advice- wanted and unwanted- about raising your baby and going through a pregnancy is also overwhelming... in a different sort of way ;-)
• I have had a really easy pregnancy so far and I feel so blessed by that! I know so many Mommas who are not so lucky. 
• I have ALREADY had people ask me how many more children we want... boy- Savannah isn't even here yet! 
• Pink does make me happy <3
• Ultrasounds are not always pleasant... those people get rough!
• Peeing in a cup seriously- pregnancy makes you a professional at that.
• Some days I still have to remind myself that it is true- we will have our sweet little baby in our arms in just a few months! We feel so lucky and blessed!