summer cooking...

We have been having so much fun bar-b-queing. We love using our grill and we tried something different the other night: a whole artichoke. It was incredible... We will be making that in the future for sure! If you like artichokes, you have to try them for sure!

Happy Sunday!

Ryder just wanted to wish everyone a happy sunday!

Kit's Graduation!

Kit graduated with his masters yesterday and Ryder and I are so proud of him.

Ryder was very attentive at the ceremony until he passed out sleeping and didn't wake up until we arrived home.

(Good job little man!)

He wore a onesie that paid tribute to their mascot on his toosh...

We had a little family get together at our house to celebrate he and Mallory, our sister-in-law and it was a very special evening to celebrate this big accomplishment.

We just had dessert, but it was really good.

I made a "kit and mallory's graduation word search" on line and we all worked on it throughout the evening.

(Kit looks a little crazed huh?)

Grandma and Grandpa Pierce came down and we just love them so much. It was so fun to have them there. This was also the first time that they met Ryder.

We also got to take some pictures with the bassinet that grandpa HAND WOVE IN 1948!!! Ryder is the 3rd generation of babies to be using it. Kit's mom was in it, Kit was in it and now Ryder...

Needless to say this was a very special day with some very special celebrating.

prayer...

It was an emotional day and this prayer brought such comfort, that I wanted to share it with you. I recently put it up in my bathroom to read at the beginning and ending to the day, and it has been such a blessing.

-It's from Richard Foster's book of Prayers-

A Prayer of Relinquishment

Today, O Lord, I yield myself to you.

May your will be my delight today.

May your way have perfect sway in me.

May your love be the pattern of my living.

I surrender to you

my hopes,

my dreams,

my ambitions.

Do with them what you will, when you will, as you will.

I place into your loving care

my family,

my friends,

my future.

Care for them with a care that I can never give.

I release into your hands

my need to control,

my craving for status,

my fear of obscurity.

Eradicate the evil, purify the good, and establish your

kingdom on earth.

Amen.

more smiles...

Our little man seems to always have a little spit up after his meals, but it always leads to some very sweet moments...

smiles!

We were able to capture some smiles recently and we just thought they were so sweet. We are a little biased but we think everything he does is so sweet... I know, sappy! He started smiling at exactly 6 weeks in response to our voice and touching his face. It just melts our hearts.

We are so in love with our baby! We can't get enough of him...

Question to the moms and dad's out there...

We are starting to figure out toys and age appropriateness and what to have available for Ryder and other kiddos that come over for play dates. We have had some friends come over with their kiddos and I want to have good things available to play with.

So the question is: I want to know what your child's favorite toy is. What toy can you not live without in your house? What toys do kids seem to gravitate towards when you have other kids over? We want each toy to be as usable and versatile as possible so I would love your input.

farmer's market

We took Ryder to his first Farmer's Market this last thursday and it was so fun. The weather was perfect and there was a band playing some great music and the food is always so tasty. Is there anything better than farmer's market produce? We got a bag of cherries and ate them as we walked around people watching. It felt like summer and it was such a great evening. If you are looking for farmer's market near you, there are several sites on line that will connect you to local farmers and where they sell their produce.

Here is Ryder having no idea where he is or what we are doing, but he is always happy to be outside...

saving and budgets

We feel like everyone has been talking finances recently: how expensive things are, how people are trying to save more,how people are paying down debt and cutting back and it got us thinking.

Things that we are trying to do is eating out less. Making Kit's lunch and our own coffee are also part of that too. We also notice that we eat so much healthier when we do.

What has been a cost saver for your family?

Do you bring a lunch to work? Do you make your own coffee instead of buying out? Are you a coupon family? Do you carpool? Do you share your kids toys and clothes? Are there things that you only buy in bulk or places that you will only buy gas? Do you make your won cleaning supplies?

There are so many little tips that families do on a regular basis that we would love to know about as we are trying to make the best decisions as we add a new member to our family (and budget.)

ps: i came across this website for lunch ideas for kids bag lunches and I thought it was interesting so I thought I would share it with you.

Not Norman...

Anyone who knows how we feel about fish, or who is a fish lover themselves, will appreciate this book. Also, if you have ever had to find a pet that fit your family, you will also appreciate this sweet story. You know how we love children's books and we love to share titles of our favorites. This is definitely a new favorite.

it will get you going...

We have to laugh how much coffee we drink. I try to limit my intake due to breast feeding, but it is hilarious how much we NEED the boost in the morning. I can't get over it. Kit really never used to drink coffee and now we laugh because you can tell when he has or hasn't had it.

We have questions for those with little people... What gets you going on your day? Is there a certain food or drink you have in the morning or are you someone who HAS to take a morning shower to wake up. Do you work out in the morning...? We do not want to reinvent the wheel so if there is stuff that works for you, please share... we would greatly appreciate it...so would Ryder...

So if you see us and we look a little wired, we wanted you to know why...

"Take me out to the ball game.."

We went to our first Angels game with Ryder last friday. He was a real trouper and lasted almost 5 innings.

It is fun to take him on outings. Kit and I couldn't help but thinking about taking Ryder when he is older and eating peanuts and hotdogs and doing the 7th inning stretch and all that good stuff.

We love our baby!

welcoming summer with friends...

We had a "welcome summer" party with our close friends from college. These are friends that have become family to us and we could not love them more. These are the guys with the baby boys... (One of our friends is in South Africa and he was missed.)

It is so fun to watch these families grow.

Here is our little man getting more and more alert. I can't get enough of his little face!

We look forward to many adventures and memories with these precious friends.

barefoot contessa hummus

We had a get together with our close friends yesterday, which is always so fun. We each brought different foods to share and I made this recipe from barefoot contessa and it was really tasty. (Not that I am a good cook, it's that the recipe is so easy and uses really good ingredients...) I like to try recipes that other people have recommended to me. I feel like I have less chance of wasting time on a dud. I hope that you get a chance to try it. I don't think that you will be disappointed...

centerpieces (a.k.a more party planning...)

I came across this picture on a blog from a Martha Stewart design, and I have been having fun playing with the idea of grouping bottles and vases together.

I am going to be using it for our graduation party. I found the Amy Butler paper at Michaels and it's double sided so you can see it through the glass.

I am so excited how it came together. I have so much fun planning for parties, it's all coming together!

it won't be like this for long...

This song was shared with us when we were pregnant with Ryder and it has seemed so applicable to having a newborn. I wanted to share the lyrics with you. It reminds me to stay focused that each stage of Ryder's life is precious and we want to enjoy and savor each step of his life...

(It was written for a little girl but is still applicable to life for a boy...)

It Won't Be Like This For Long

~Darius Rucker

He didn't have to wake up

He'd been up all night

Layin’ there in bed listenin’

To his new born baby cry

He makes a pot of coffee

He splashes water on his face

His wife gives him a kiss and says

It's gonna be OK

It won’t be like this for long

One day we'll look back laughin’

At the week we brought her home

This phase is gonna fly by

So baby just hold on

‘Cause it won't be like this for long

Four years later ‘bout 4:30

She's crawling in their bed

And when he drops her off at preschool

She's clinging to his leg

The teacher peels her off of him

He says what can I do

She says now don't you worry

This’ll only last a week or two

It won’t be like this for long

One day soon you'll drop her off

And she won’t even know you're gone

This phase is gonna fly by

If you can just hold on

It won’t be like this for long

Some day soon she'll be a teenager

And at times he'll think she hates him

Then he'll walk her down the aisle

And he'll raise her veil

But right now she's up and cryin’

And the truth is that he don't mind

As he kisses her good night

And she says her prayers

He lays down there beside her

‘Til her eyes are finally closed

And just watchin’ her it breaks his heart

Cause he already knows

It won’t be like this for long

One day soon that little girl is gonna be

All grown up and gone

Yeah, this phase is gonna fly by

So, he's tryin’ to hold on

‘Cause it won’t be like this for long

It won’t be like this for long

It won’t be like this for long

party planning!

I have been having fun thinking ahead to Kit's graduation. Our sister-in-law is also graduating so we are thinking of having a little get together after the ceremony. I was trying to think outside the box for decorations. So I have seen banners like this on etsy, and I thought that I could try making one...

I had the material from when I made curtains for our kitchen. (I got it at ikea for crazy cheap!) It has lots of fun colors in it that I know I can use for parties later.

So I made a template out of cardboard and marked out the triangles with a sharpie. I cut them out with scissors and then stitched the edges to help with fraying and then attached it to brown ribbon.

I am so excited to watch all the party planning come together...

It's so fun to celebrate people I love!

books!

These are the books that I have been on my recent book list.

Some have been started and some I am looking forward to cracking open...

These have all been recommended to me and I have not been disappointed... I hope that you have a chance to check them out and that you enjoy them as much as I have.

good night moon, revisited...

I love reading to Ryder. We read when he is eating, finished eating and passed out in my lap, sitting in his bouncy seat, propped up on my knees... pretty much we love to read together. (Well, who am I kidding, I love to read to him and look at his big eyes...)I came across this post on an old favorite and I thought it was really fun to see the observations that were made. Check it our here.

Thanks Rookie Moms!

Got milk?

A little update on our last week.

(Thank you for all of you that have checked in to see how it is going.)

Well, we have had a little bit of, lets say, feeding issues at our house recently. Over the past week, our little man has been spitting up quite a bit after feedings. He isn't fussy, but you can tell that he just can't possibly digest all the milk that he was getting from our feedings. Well, after weight and diaper checks and monitoring pumping volumes, it turns out that my poor little guy was getting almost triple what he should be at this age from me. So it turns out that I was, unintentionally, overfeeding our baby. Our doctor was so reassuring and encouraging, and I guess, as a new Italian mother, this will not be the first time that I want to make sure that our baby gets enough to eat, but it was pretty rough there for awhile. I kept thinking it was something I ate or that I wasn't burping enough, or correctly.(For a postpartum nurse, that is a pretty depressing thought...) We are getting much better at this whole feeding thing though. Thank you for all of you that have asked about us and checked in to see how we are doing.

It is getting better each day.

Africa...

We saw this license plate and I just had to show it to you...

We have tons of love for Africa because it gave us our baby girl...

I love that face!

Happy Mothers Day!

I just love my mom... Over the last several years we have become best friends. Becoming a mom has really made me think about my own parents, and I was reminded of a story that my uncle shares. He tells the story that when my cousin was born, he called his mom to tell her about his baby girl and how he just couldn't believe how intensely he loved this little person that he had just met. She simply responded "now you know..."

Well, since the arrival of Ryder, there has been a new depth to my relationship with my mom.

So mom, I just wanted to wish you a happy mother's day and tell you now I know...

I couldn't love you more and I love living life with you!

Being celebrated...

This is my first mother's day and Ryder got me flowers and then there was the most amazing card that was so encouraging a coupon for a lisa leonard design piece of jewelry. Kit is so thoughtful and I felt so celebrated.

I was thinking about last mother's day. We had had our miscarriage December 2008 and I was so sad to not be pregnant and I felt like the world around me was popping out babies (Kit gently reminded me that my particular nursing specialty was a skewed population...) But I just wanted to say a special mother's day to those that want to be mother's or maybe lost their moms and mother's day is just a hard day for you. I wanted you to know that you are loved.

What's up with that...

Kit has won serious father of the year points with this little number. In the evening when Ryder is just a little fussy right before he sleeps 4-5 hours, Kit calms him with this little dance...

Kit, thank you so much for knowing our baby so well and for jumping in and helping every chance you get.

What an amazing dad you are!

best buddies...

We connected with our close friends today who also just had a baby. (We were due the exact same day...) Mark, Kit and I went to college together and they are the best of friends, so it is so fun to watch them have boys together. So here are some snap shots...

The proud daddies

Hank Rae and Ryder Pierce

Big Sister, Hazel

We took so many pictures together with our bellies, it was fun to actually get some babies in their too

(even if it is just their legs...)

I love that baby...

Just hanging with the guys

We know there will be many memories and adventures together...

We love you, Thrashes!