Creighty: 9 Months

With 9 months just around the corner I couldn't miss the opportunity for a photo shoot with Creighton. We were in Snohomish yesterday and we saw this brick wall that provided us with the perfect backdrop for a quick photo shoot. He is such a champ when it comes to snapping photos. I thought I would share with you just a few of my favorites. I must throw in a disclaimer, I didn't even notice the cigarette butt, inches from Creighton, until after we took these photos. 

Must get this face from his father...

                                    

So sweet!

I can't help but laugh when I see this picture!

Check out those teeth!

He brings us so much joy! Happy 9 months Creighton! 

~Lilacs:Hutch~

I love spring! It is one of my favorite times of the year because everything is so green, in bloom and the birds are singing. Most of all I LOVE the dark purple lilacs that begin to bloom. I find so much joy in this simple flower. The smell, the color, everything about them! I was able to pick a small bouquet to enjoy so of course I had to take a couple pictures. 

Sorry these are small, they were taken on my phone!

After looking at these pictures I thought it would be a good time to write about my prized craigslist purchase. A little over a year ago I was on the hunt for a hutch for our kitchen. I don't know how many of you have looked at a hutch but these things aren't cheap. I knew exactly what I wanted and was patient because I knew I would find it. One February day I finally found it. The minute I saw this piece I had a vision for it. Sadly, I only took one before picture of it and it is when most of the doors were already taken off. 

BEFORE: This was also taken on my phone!

When I saw this I thought, a little white paint, a couple new hinges and some new handles and this baby will look perfect. Little did I know just how much white paint this baby would take. All the doors and drawers were that country blue color, the hinges were gold and the original handles were unfinished wood. We spent countless hours in the cold garage, sitting next to our heaters, hearing the rain come down outside, making sure I had my painting mask on because I was about 5 months pregnant. The entire time we painted this piece we said to ourselves that we would never do it again. 

AFTER
Don't those purple lilacs make the picture look perfect? 

Creighton seems to like it too!

With that being said, I am so thankful we chose to take this task on because I love to look at it everyday and think to myself that we did it together. It was well worth the time and the effort. I must end this post by saying, I am going to make a conscience effort to post more than once for the month of June. I have plenty to write about but haven't been taking the time to do it! 

~Happy Memorial Day~

growing boy...

I can't believe my "little" baby boy is already 8 months old (well, not until May 6th). Just the other day I decided it was time to upload over 1,200 pictures from my phone to our computer. It was then that I realized just how fast time has gone. Being a mom is one of the most difficult yet most rewarding gifts, I am so blessed to be a mom! I love how no matter what I say to Creighton, even when I tell him no, he always smiles at me. I love when people hold him and he reaches for me, I love hearing him talk to himself in his crib when he wakes up in the morning, I love that he says "Uh" when I drop something, I love that he says "dada" even though I wish he said "mama," I love when he laughs uncontrollably even if it is just because I am acting like a fool dancing around the house, I love that he has learned how to clap and gets excited at just about everything. I love everything about this little man so thought I would share with you a couple pictures over the past 8 months!

Newborn

 

One Month: (in Hawaii)

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months, a little early...

I love this sweet boy and I am so blessed to be his mama!

Food anyone?

Ever since I knew I was pregnant I knew that someday I would like to take on the "challenge" of making our baby food. I say"challenge" because really it is not that hard at all. It just takes a little bit of extra time! Extra time I am willing to take for the peace of mind that I know what is in every bite I am feeding Creighton. To be honest it has become a process I really enjoy. I usually have a baby making food day where I make enough food to last us several weeks. So far Creighton has enjoyed pretty much everything I have made. I have noticed he doesn't really care for Rice cereal or Oatmeal, I even made his oatmeal myself and he doesn't like it. When I began this process I went to Borders and picked up a recipe book, I wanted to pick up a book just to see the creative recipes and suggestions they have for babies. I found this awesome, easy to read book called, "The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet." I love this book, it is so user friendly and has great recipes. 

Once I found this sweet book I decided I needed all the essentials to complete the baby food process. I already had the food processor but knew I needed something to freeze the baby food in. I knew William and Sonoma actually has a baby food machine that is pretty pricey but thought they might have some handy tools. Sure enough I found this really handy, again, easy to use container to freeze Creighton's food in. It is made of rubber and all you do is pinch the bottom and out pops the frozen baby food. It is a little pricey but it was well worth it. Each individual spot holds at least two servings. I also use covered ice trays because they aren't quite as pricey and they hold about the same amount of food but are better on the wallet. 

Pears are super easy to make as they are already pretty soft. I just start with 3-4 ripe pears, cut them into small pieces, peel them and put them in the microwave for several minutes or until soft. (you can also boil them if you prefer)

Once they have cooled I put them into my handy dandy food processor. So easy I can do it with a baby on my hip! 

Then I simply push the button and let them mix until smooth. If I was making sweet potatoes or something with a thinker consistency I would add some of my milk to make it smooth and easier for Creighton to eat. It is really the best of both worlds! 

 Once I get it to the correct consistency I fill my little green container, put the lid on it and freeze. When everything is frozen I then transfer the finished product to a freezer bag until I need it. They are super easy to thaw and ready when needed! I have thoroughly enjoyed this experience and can't wait to find more creative recipes in my book! 

Time to go make some apples and check on my sweet potatoes! I hope you all have a fantastic week! 

 

   

Welcome to the Kingdom...

Last Sunday we had the opportunity to baptize both Creighton and his cousin David at the church Scott grew up in. Just to give you a little bit of history on his church, Scott's great grandpa built the church back in 1902. I tried to find a picture of the church but can't find one so I will just explain it to you. It is a little white church with a steeple that backs up to farm land. You look out the window in parts of the church and there is a plowed field, depending on the time of year. 

I love the reflection on Creighton's face!

The coolest part of the whole day, other than Creighton being baptized with his cousin David is that Creighton is the 4th generation to be baptized in that church. Scott's grandpa, Scott's dad, Scott and now Creighton! What a cool thing!

 

It truly was a perfect day! We were surrounded by family that not only loves us but our children as if they were their own. 

Scott's sister and family!

Grandpa and Grandma Long!

I was so thankful my mom and dad were able to come share this special day with us! 

Auntie Kelli with her babies!

Grandpa and Grandma Pete!

Creighton, Alice and David!

I love that these three are so close in age. There is only about 5 weeks between Creighton and David! It will be fun to see them grow up together!

I apologize I am posting so many of these pictures in the chair, we took a million to try and get one of all three of them looking at the camera. 

I love David's face! 

I love this one! 

 

Kisses for her cousin!

Welcome to His Kingdom David and Creighton!

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 Months...

We have a very healthy baby boy! Yes, we had our 6 month check up today and passed with flying colors. We came in at a whopping 17lbs 5oz, 28inches long! We are healthy and growing right on target. What more could a parent ask for, right? I have to just take a quick minute to talk about how much we love Creighton's pediatrician. He is so great and has been doing it for 30+ years. I love his approach to everything, he is very old fashioned and keeps things simple. He even gave Creighton a book today! He never makes us feel like we don't know what we are doing as parents. His answer to our most basic questions as first time parents is, what does your son want? He always tells us that we will know our son better than anybody and there is no right or wrong way to do simple things. (i.e. when to introduce him to solids, how often to give him a bath when he was a newborn, etc.) Creighton actually loves his pediatrician so much that he peed on him today! Dr. Pollard quickly told us that Creighton was only the 3rd baby to ever pee on him. 

 

We love our visits to see our pediatrician except when we have to get the usual round of shots. I have been so proud of myself because I have never cried until today, I have to admit I think I cried more than Creighton! I am guessing it won't get any easier as he gets older. I just have to keep reminding myself it is better for him in the long run. 

Even though we had a round of shots, 4 to be exact, we still had a smile on our face. We always leave the doctor warn out and usually sleep for the quick ride back home. Overall it was a good trip and we are excited to see how much he grows over the next couple of months.

Our visit today was extra special because daddy got to get off work a little early and come with us! We love our special times as a family, even if it is just another trip to see Dr. Pollard.

Creighton Keith

"And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon him." Luke 2:40

(1 Month)

When I sit down to write about Creighton my mind goes in a million different directions. I guess I will just start with why we named him Creighton. I would say it was back in Junior High when I realized one day I would name my boy Creighton. He is named after my Grandpa Dr. Robert Joseph Creighton. If you ever had the chance to meet my grandpa you would know why we chose this name. My grandpa was a man of character and integrity, I was honored to be his grand-daughter. If you know my family at all you would know that I have 5 nieces, so the odds of me having a boy didn't seem to be in our favor. Because of this I didn't know if I would ever get the chance to honor my grandpa by naming our son after him. Needless to say we were brought great joy the day we found out we were pregnant with a baby boy! What an incredible journey this has been so far. 

(Day 1)

The day Creighton was born was the day we were truly given a gift.  My hospital room was filled with family awaiting the arrival of our precious baby. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew someday I wanted to me a mom. I just never really knew how amazing the entire process of becoming a mom would be. From being pregnant, (for what feels like a year, not 9 months) to giving birth, to becoming a mom and family, just like that! Throughout this journey God has constantly reminded me of just how blessed I truly am.

(2 Months

Having a newborn, I learned very quickly that getting up in the night is not as difficult as I thought it would be. I am convinced that God created the 3rd trimester as a training period for taking care of a newborn in the middle of the night. I don't know if other moms would agree with me but let's me honest, how many of us truly get a full night sleep in that last trimester? With that being said, I have yet to have a time where I am up all night with Creighton, but I am still convinced! Creighton is so full of Joy and such a happy baby (I am not biased when I say this). When people meet Creighton for the first time they ask us if he is always that happy! I of course say yes because he truly is a happy boy, all the time. 

(4 Months)

We are coming up on Creighton's 6 month birthday and I am amazed at how fast the time has gone. We already have our two bottom teeth but haven't quite figured out how to roll over yet. I don't know if he is just stubborn but he doesn't really want anything to do with rolling over and I am ok with that. He will roll over when he is ready! He is so much fun these days! I feel like he is learning new things everyday and he even makes me laugh. I love hanging out with our little man, he brings me so much joy! His newest accomplishment is blowing. Yes, I said blowing! I don't know where he learned how to blow but it seriously cracks me up! I know we have many adventures ahead of us and I cannot wait to see how this little person, Creighton, continues to bless our lives!

Footprints

My prayer for you, sweet boy, is that you would grow up strong with integrity, having a love for Jesus! I pray you would have a heart to serve His Kingdom and a passion for His word. My prayer is that you would walk in His footsteps all the days of your life.