Running Our Race

but mom....i don't want to fall asleep....i love my longhorn paci....i am sooo awake.... 3 minutes later.... ahhhh....blissful slumber...what is sweeter than a sleeping baby....i am so in love!

We have been having a small "dirty" problem in our backyard. Let me give you a hint....it starts with a "J" and ends with a "E"... 4 letters.... Yup...you guessed it....Jake!!! And here he is!!! This is the back gate into our backyard...and this is where a mud pit has formed. Mostly due to this sweet lovable dog who loves to dig and play in the dirt. Combine this with a lot of recent rain...and that makes a dirty mess! Brett and I decided we would try and fix this problem by laying some stones where the mud pit was. Here is the start of the project... Jake intently watching Brett cover up his favorite play spot. Ha! Ahhh...the finished product! Yeah! Here we were on our way to church this morning. This weekend we had such beautiful weather. I cannot wait for Spring to get here! I love the squinty eyes!! Such a serious face with her Dad! She is really holding her head up most of the time by herself. Everyday she noticeably gets stronger.

Yesterday Caroline was 1 month old!!! Being the "on-top-of-it" mother that I am (yeah right)...I didn't even realize it until a good friend of mine reminded me!! Oops! Brett wasn't getting home from Atlanta until late and had a long day at work, so I decided to make a great appe , open a yummy bottle of wine, and get a fun dessert for us to share. I put together some fresh mozzarella on a slice of baguette with pesto and a roasted tomato. It was sooo good! Brett and I shared a key lime tart to celebrate Little Bit being in this world for One Whole Month . She looked pretty excited. Ha! The weather this weekend is supposed to warm up to 60 degrees....yippee! We have plans to get some things crossed off our to-do list and at the same time do a whole bunch of nothing! We have been so busy lately- we are ready for the weekend!

So we have 2 dogs Sadie and Jake. Sadie is a bit of a prima-donna. She was my "only child" for awhile and got a bit spoiled I am afraid to say. Jake is what our family refers to as the "Marmaduke Dog". He is such a happy-go-lucky dog and a bit of a dufus. All he wants to do is play and be loved on by anyone around. His favorite playmate is Sadie, but I don't think she feels the love toward him in the same way. She is so grouchy in the morning and Jake is ready to roll once he wakes up. They are really funny together. During the day, I am convinced they sleep 98% of the time (particularly Sadie). Here they are in action! I caught Sadie sleeping on our dining room table bench (kind of a no-no). I don't know how she wasn't falling off! Jake had assumed the half on-half off the dog bed for his mid-morning nap. My mom just sent me this video she took on her phone of Caroline and Jake. Caroline is sleeping on my lap and Jake is next to me on the co...

When I married Brett about 1 1/2 years ago my cooking life changed dramatically!!! I went from cooking and preparing food for 1 (ME!!) to cooking for 5!!! Let me tell you....it is not as easy as you think! Lucky for me, none of the 3 kids are too picky and they all will try new foods. I am slowly getting better, but at first I would always underestimate the amount of food I need to make to feed 5. I would always just buy 1 of something (1 package of hamburger meat, 1 package of lettuce for salad....etc). Now we joke that we do the "Noah's Ark method of shopping". Two Of Everything! I am learning the tricks slowly. With my pregnancy and the holidays, my weight for sure crept on, as did Brett's, a little for the kids, and even the dogs! ha! After the new year, our family has made some changes and everyone has lost even a few pounds! Awesome! We really "put the hammer down" on the foods that we eat. Healthy, Healthy, Healthy! We try to have a salad...

Miss Caroline is 4 weeks old (well...yesterday..). She is getting to be so much fun! Here are a few more random pictures of our new favorite subject. Our nickname for her has become "little bit". I think it all started after she lost some weight following her birth and she just seemed so tiny. She has since put on some weight and doesn't seem so little anymore but the name has stuck. In fact in this first picture she is wearing 0-3 months clothes...a little big....but sooo cute! She is learning how to hold her head up. We do lots of tummy time. She loves it! Bath time is another favorite!!! Every night!.... Sleeping like a baby! My mom started this project when she was here and I just finished it up. It is kind of for Caroline's birth/ my Birthday (feb 3)/ valentines day....we are so not creative...but it is now hanging on my back door. Our house now has all things pink! Love is in the air....

Tomorrow Caroline will be 4 weeks old. I am in total shock!!! These past 4 weeks have been some of the best weeks of my life, but also the most exhausting!! :) Caroline is doing great! We haven't weighed her in 2 weeks, but I am guessing she is somewhere in the 8 lb range. She is eating really well. She takes 3-4 oz of formula at every feeding. During the day I am working hard to keep her on a schedule. We are eating every 3 hours...even if I have to wake her up from a nap. (Crazy I know...) She is a happy baby as long as she is fed, burped really well, and has a clean diaper. She loves just being held by her 3 older sisters and brother. She is starting to really look around and make some cute faces. I think she recognizes my voice when I walk in the room. She is just now starting to wear 0-3 months clothes. They are still a little big on her, but the newborn/premie clothes are now getting too short. I think she is going to have long legs (yeah!) because her clothes ...

Wow...so much to say...so many pictures to show.... Caroline Brooke Scullen arrived on Monday, December 27, 2010 at 5:33pm. She was just perfect. We came home from the hospital on Wednesday and needless to say....the days have been a bit of a blur ever since! :) Unfortunately, both Brett and I have been really sick with sinus/chest cold nastiness. So, in addition to being a bit sleep deprived we also are totally under the weather...a bummer! I am trying to suffer through it without taking any of the "strong stuff" for meds... Anyways....things are getting better everyday! She is just so great and I know couldn't imagine our family without her. All 3 of the kids are so great with her...I think she never leaves one of her siblings arms... She weighed 7 lb 1 oz at birth and we left the hospital at 6 lb 10 oz. We went back for a weigh in yesterday and she know weighs 6 lb 5 oz. The doctors are now concerned that she has lost a little too much. I have been struggling...