out with 2012 in with 2013

i'm finding it so hard to believe that 2012 is over. i can remember last new years eve so vividly. after getting engaged in november and finding out we were pregnant a month later i was so excited for what was to come in 2012, but also really very nervous.

i never in my wildest dreams could have imagined what a year of ups and downs 2012 would be, and even still it has been the best year of my life, hands down.

january

 i had just found out that i was pregnant, but i wasn't even showing. it hardly felt real. i took about 10 pregnancy tests to make sure i hadn't gotten a false positive (is that even possible?) Beau and i got married at the courthouse on the 27th.

february

we celebrated our first valentines day together by baking and decorating a cake. it was perfect because i had no desire to go out considering i was exhausted with growing a baby and all.

march

the only thing i can remember from this month is the deathly stomach virus i caught from the little guy i was a nanny for. so not fun, especially when pregnant.

april

we celebrated easter at my parents house and went on our "honeymoon" to jeep beach in daytona, fl.

may

my was my first mother's day, our church wedding, and my 21st birthday. obviously i didn't celebrate the way most 21 year olds do... instead we bought a vacuum! i also totaled my car this month in my 4th accident since getting pregnant and was forced to stop working. 

june

june was Beau's turn to celebrate. he turned 21 and had his first father's day. we were house sitting for my uncle at the time, so parents had a little party for him once we got home!

july

oh what a surprise this month was! my baby shower was at the beginning of the month and then we had a couple labor scares, but i was sure i wasn't going to actually give birth until my due date (aug. 21st) or later. boy was i wrong. Owen had his own plan. on july 25th at 10am my contractions started. at 10:30am my water broke and i was at the hospital at 11:30am. O arrived into this world after just four pushes, at 4:12pm.

august

this month flew by as i learned the joys and difficulties of being a new mother. we struggled with breast feeding and jaundus and all kinds of things that seemed like they'd never get better. but before we knew it O was gaining weight like a champ and it all of a sudden felt like i'd been a mother my whole life.

september

being stuck in a basement apartment with a newborn who mostly slept all day was really lonely so, even though our lease wasn't up until november, we decided to move out of our apartment and into my parent's basement 2 months early. O's great grandmother (my paternal grand mother) traveled all the way from ireland to meet her first great grandchild. this is also the month i began this wondeful blogging journey.

october

this month O was baptised and we had a big reception at my parent's house. we also went to the pumpkin patch and apple orchard before O's first halloween.

november

in november Beau started his job with the police department. it was such a huge answer to prayers for him to get his dream job as a police officer and the increase in pay that came along with it. and we of course had a wonderful thanksgiving at my uncle's house. 

december

this has been a huge month for O developmentally. he has become much more comfortable on his stomach, rolls over more easily, and has even started sitting on his own. we had such a fantastic christmas with lots of family. 

all in all 2012 was the most fantastic year. i so look forward to what's to come in 2013.

happy new year everyone!

be safe tonight!

#bragaboutit

today i'm linking up again for one of my favorites- brag about it mondays
i love this link-up, cause honestly, who doesn't like to brag a little every once in a while!

today i'm bragging about my baby boy. the past three nights in a row he has slept through the night. we're talking 6:30pm-8:30am (14hrs)!!! the first night i woke up scared to death that something was wrong with him, but when i went into his room he was fast asleep. yesterday and today i've just had the luxury of 8 uninterrupted hours of sleep. let me tell you, waking up when your body is ready feels so much better than waking up to a screaming baby at 4am!

so that's it. that's my brag. it might not seem like much, but it's a huge deal for me!

high five for friday!

i am so siked that it's friday! Beau went back to work yesterday, which made this a two day week and who doesn't love a two day week? can i get an amen?

i'm linking up with {Lauren} who i found through {Samantha} to share my five favorite photos from this week.

1. O getting lots of qt with Dada, because he got three days off for christmas!

2. Beau got to play "Santa" for the first time. his favorite part was the milk and cookies, for sure. ;)

 3. i got to spend a tiny bit of time with my cousin Kelly who also happens to be one of my best friends and O's godmother.

4. all the craziness of the holiday made this guy a little bit cuddlier for the past few days. Momma ain't complaining!

last but not least...

 5. O graduated from the sink and had his first bath in the "big boy tub." he absolutely loves it!

hope you all have a wonderful weekend! see you on the other side :)

december cara box

i was so excited about this month's cara box because the theme was holiday sparkle. what girl doesn't love glitter? 

things were done a little differently this month. i got two partners: one {Nicole} to receive a box from and another {Kristen} to send a box to. so i found out a little bit about Kristen and sent her a box full of shimmer and shine. and i told Nicole a little about myself and got a fun box right before christmas. it was like and early christmas gift!

she included:

some christmas scented candles

a cute sparkly make-up bag

a cookie spatula

some really neat crayons

a cute little palm tree statue

a copy of her magazine

and

lifesavers, gum, and jolly ranchers

if you don't know about the cara box exchange you should definitely check it out. visit kaitlyn's site to get all the deets! or just click the button below :)

christmas update

this year was Owen's first christmas, and considering he isn't going to remember any of it (like he probably forgot as soon as he went to bed) we didn't do too much. although, i did start to feel really guilty on christmas eve when i realized we had bought ONE gift for O. so i ran out and picked up a few toys that i wanted him to have for his development. i hate the idea of buying a bunch of junk you don't need just because it's christmas. that's sooo not the reason for the season! 

anyway, O gave us the best gift ever and slept through the night until 7:30AM! i felt like a new woman christmas morning, i had actually gotten more than 4 hours of sleep! we started the morning by taking an "on the way to the tree" picture and singing happy birthday to Jesus. then we showed O his presents, which he wasn't very interested in and opened our presents for each other. my wonderful husband got me the sewing machine i've been dying to purchase. he's the best :) 

once we had our private family christmas in our basement apartment we went upstairs and exchanged gifts with my parents and siblings. it was so awesome to have all my siblings together on christmas morning. for a minute i felt like i was 10 again. the rest of the day was spent enjoying the company of my family. my mom's two brothers and their families, one of my dad's brothers and his family, and my Nana all came over for a big christmas feast. it really was the perfect day and i'm finding myself relived to say that i hardly took any pictures, because actually being present and in the moment mean so much more than capturing "the perfect shot" on a day like that.

Owen is so lucky to have 5 uncles who adore him, even if they are a little rough around the edges ;)

merry christmas to all

and to all a goodnight!

(sorry, this is all you're gonna get tonight... i'm exhausted and my camera is all the way upstairs.)

wanna see something adorable?

Owen sat on Santa's lap for the very first time and it was so precious! 

i figured he wouldn't cry because he's really too young to understand that he's on a stranger's lap, but i didn't think we'd get any smiles. boy was i wrong.

as soon as the camera flashed he was laughing and squealing at the flash. it was the cutest thing! 

and check out that Santa... isn't he perfect. i don't think i've ever seen a more perfect Santa. 

all in all O's first Santa pictures were quite a success! 

tonight and tomorrow are going to be crazy busy! i have to make some last minute gift orders, wrap all the presents, do some preparatory baking for christmas breakfast and dessert, etc. needless to say, i wont have much time for blogging so...

sleep sound in Jesus, my baby, my dear

it's 9pm and Owen has been fast asleep for 21/2 hrs now. 

is it normal that i miss him? that there's this physical longing to hold him, cradle him in my arms right now. 

sometimes i want our bedtime routine to last forever. i want to giggle and splash with him in the bath and then snuggle him close in his little shark towel, with the hood pulled over his damp head. i want to nurse him in the glider while whispering lullabies and watching his eyes slowly close. i want to pace his room, rocking him in my arms watching as he dreams, beautiful dreams the make him smile slightly and breath rhythmically.

some nights i seriously fight the urge to sneak into his room and stand over the crib watching his peaceful sleep, that's because i know if i spent any amount of time gazing at him there is no way i would be able to resist the urge to scoop his tiny body out of the crib and kiss that sweet neck, those glorious cheeks, those tiny fingers and toes. 

reindeer bark

i just love the christmas season! don't you? 

so much baking and shopping and gift wrapping and family visiting. these are all some of my favortie things to do! but my absolute favorite is baking with family.

i can't describe the warm feeling i get when the kitchen is full of noise and laughter (and some bossing). to me, nothing says christmas is coming more than that. 

with so many treats going into the oven sometimes i like to make something that doesn't need the oven between batches. on of my favorite holiday treats has always been peppermint bark, but this year, with little O as a new part of our lives, i decided to make a more kid-friendly version:

REINDEER BARK

1pkg vanilla almond bark

1/2 pkg cool mint oreos

1 bag christmas m&m's

christmas sprinkles

crush the oreos onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. add m&m's and make sure they are spread evenly.

melt the almond bark in the microwave according to the directions on the package. 

once completely melted and smooth, pour over the oreos and m&m's making sure to cover all of the candy. 

at this point you are supposed to add the sprinkles. i forgot this time, but it still tastes great without them. they're more for looks.

then you place the cookie sheet in the fridge for about 30 min. or until the almond bark has hardened completely.

then break the bark into pieces using your hands. it's okay if the pieces are different shapes and sizes. once broken into the desired sizes you can serve the bark immediately, save in a sealed container for a week, or package for gift giving. 

this is a super easy christmas treat and it's fun for kids to help make! it's also so delicious. this batch has already been devoured so i'm going to have to make more and hide it for christmas day.

{this post is a part of Krista's 25 letters of christmas link-up}