Grace Note Gifts Giveaway!

Grace Note Gifts: Friday: A Great Day for a {Giveaway!}

This is a business run by my sweet cousin, Grace. She handmakes soy candles, earrings, decorative bobby pins all while being a stay at home mom to 2 adorable boys AND now she is having a giveaway. Head over to her blog for details on how to enter and then check out her etsy store. So many cute items!

Happy Easter!

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his

life for his friends.

John 15:13

Heard this scripture at church this morning and it just hit me, I'm His friend. And He died for me! I can't even imagine giving up my life (let alone my ONLY son!) for a friend. Thank goodness God is bigger and more amazing than me.

Easter is a little different this year. My mom is in Wenatchee, WA with my sisters and sweet little niece, Joanna, so she isn't here to plan and make the "traditional" easter lunch. My dad has stepped up though and is making lunch (with some help!).

We don't have many Easter traditions.... yet. Once Aiden is a bit older and can understand the holiday we'll do more. Growing up, we always woke up to the table set and decorated, with little presents at our plates. Then yummy breakfast (usually cinnamon rolls, orange rolls, breakfast casserole) and off to church. The past few years we've been inviting other young married couples over to my parent's and having a big potluck lunch. It's always fun, especially the easter egg hunt with the little kids. I can't wait for next year when Aiden is old enough. :)

What are your Easter traditions?

5 Months

And some. :)

You know how some people take those ridiculously cute pictures every month with something cute saying "2 months" or "6 months"? Well not me. Unfortunately. I wanted to be one of those people, but it just hasn't happened. Oh well, there's always next time around!

Already enjoying LEGOs. Just like his daddy.

Haha, he's such a cutie pie! Seriously, how can you not love him?!

Quick Update

Just wanted to drop in real quick and give you an update on my 2012 Crockpot Resolution! I think only 2 weeks went by without using my crockpot, but those were also the weeks that I worked 40-60 hours so..... I think I deserved a break. :) I am really enjoying it, though. Finding lots of yummy recipes and enjoying the ease of it all. Below is a list of recipes I've tried and whether they were yummy or not (unfortunately there were some failures).

Chicken Fajitas - Delicious! We loved them and was incredible easy.

Hobo Meatball Stew - Very yummy! Tasted like pot roast, but yummy nonetheless.

Stuffed Peppers - Failure! Not sure if it was the recipe or if I just don't like the whole concept

Chicken Cacciatore (?) - Okay. It was kinda a thin soup and I tend to like thicker soups.

Orange Chicken - Sadly, a failure. I was really looking forward to this, but it did not turn out yummy . :(

Beef Stroganoff - Good. Will use steak next time instead of ground beef.

Creamy Chicken & Rice - Yummy! Another easy, quick recipe.

I do believe my crockpot recipe for this week is..... drumroll...... Chili!

Alright, good night!

New Year Resolution.....

(I guess it's actually more of a goal for this year.)

I am going to use my crockpot once a week (if not more!)

Why haven't I done this before?!?! All you do is throw some ingredients in the pot and turn it on, so simple!

Isn't she pretty? :) And it has a touch pad, how cool!

So far I have made Hawaiian Chicken and next week I'll be making Chicken Cacciatori. If you have any yummy crockpot recipes, please share!

1st Christmas!

Now, I know that Aiden won't remember this Christmas at all but it's still his first one so we took pictures and I even made him a "1st Christmas" ornament!

Here he is getting ready to open his first present (more like me opening it!)

I love his little outfit!

He got a Jump & Go! I love the look on his face! So far he likes it but I'm sure when he figures out how to jump he'll love it even more. :)

Eli & Aiden got matching hats, lovingly made by Nana.

Aiden's "1st Christmas" ornament. I don't know about all you other mothers, but I could not find a cute 1st christmas ornament that didn't cost $25+. Ridiculous! So I made him one.

All you need is a clear ornament (Jo-Ann's), some sort of filler (snowflakes, also from Jo-Ann's) and some fabric paint (scribbles, Fred Meyer's). So simple, cute and personalized!

Time Flies...

I can't believe it's almost Christmas! I just noticed that I haven't posted anything since Thanksgiving.... oh dear. Life has been so hectic lately but I'm hoping that after the holidays things will slow down and we'll get to relax more. :)

One reason why we have been so busy is because of our busy little man! 3 months old and he is eager to move. All the time. Here's a video I took of him, showing off his new move.

Ahhh, he is getting so big! I miss his little-ness. :( To tell you the truth, I've been reluctant to put him in 3 month clothes because I don't want him to grow up. But he has SO many cute clothes in that size that I finally gave in. :)

Christmas will be different this year. This will be the first time that the whole family won't be together. I know we'll still have fun, but it's just..... weird. And it's Aiden's 1st Christmas, too! Not that he'll remember it. I guess I need to remember that Christmas isn't about the gifts or even family, it's about God's amazing plan and His awesome gift to us!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year's!

Courtney (and boys)