Fall 2012

   

Kori the Pumpkin Princess  

My little pumpkin butt

Halloween 2012 starring Kori Elizabeth as Minnie Mouse

 and McKenna Grace as a Sock Monkey! 

The weekend before Halloween  "Aunt" Cami joined me and the girls for a little trick or treating in the village of Palmyra. Kori Loved dressing up as Minnie and filling her trick or treat bucket. 

 Kori and cousin Noah playing the drums on some pumpkins at our annual pumpkin carving party at Aunt Bethany and Uncle Keith's house. 

Halloween Night- 

With Thor, Power Ranger, Indiana Jones in the family Kori and Kenna will always be protected! 

Introducing my newest member to blog about McKenna Grace Smock! 

(Who is now 11 weeks, but for  SOME REASON I haven't found time to update.) Having 2 little girls under the age of 2 sure keeps me busy but I wouldn't change a thing. Loving the life as Mommy of two!

Big sister Kori meeting McKenna for the first time!

Born September 11th 2012

7 lbs 7 oz

and perfect in every way! 

I have decided to try the adventure of potty training, and yesterday we bought Kori a big girl potty! It is pink and pretty with Minnie Mouse and she loves to sit on it! 

Today was our first attempt..I brought her to her potty and she willingly sat for about 15 min! We read books, sang songs, and she had a great time.. but no tinkle. So I went to get her a diaper and she gets off the potty and pees all over the floor like a little puppy! ( Did I mention I have been encouraging her to drink lots of fluids hoping that might help the process? So, when I say all over... I mean ALL OVER the floor!) 

 Hopefully later today will bring some better luck. She sure does look cute sitting on it though!

Kori sure is a busy girl these days! It is a lot of fun finding new ways to keep her entertained so I can keep up with the housework ( which is never ending with a 1 1/2 year old!) 

I've been meaning to try a recipe for homemade play-dough and finally got around to it today. It was real easy and Kori had a lot of fun with it! 

This is the recipe I used-

• 1 Cup Plain Flour
• 1/4 Cup Salt
• 3 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons of Oil 
• 1/2 cup of water
• Food Coloring

Method

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a saucepan
2. Whisk in the water over low heat
3. Mix in the vinegar
4. Pour in the oil
5. Continue to mix over low heat until it forms a playdough texture
6. Split up the dough, and knead in the food color (when it’s cool enough to touch)

We have some fun neon food coloring which made for some pretty colored play dough! 

Miss. Kori ( going on 19 months) certainly is ALL GIRL! Her favorite things to do are playing with baby dolls, dancing to music, and growling at anything that looks like a tiger ( ok that part is not so lady like)  These days she is all about the accessories. Never to early to start, Right!? Kori loves hats, pretty clothes, shoes ( shoosh as she calls them) painted nails and toes and "pretties" in her hair. She is so much fun, God sure knew what he was doing by blessing me with such a girly girl! 

Red, White, and Blue nails for the 4th of July!

Pretty toes just like Mommy!

 Kori loves Daddy's hats!

Pretty girl brushing her teeth

Its been a while since I posted so I figured I should update on the changes in our life! Kori is going to be a big sister, and we found out last week its another girl! :) So now I guess now I have double the updates to make!

Lets start with Miss. Kori- She sure is a busy little girl and getting smarter by the day! For the past few months she has been on a pretty solid schedule that seems to work really well for both of us! 1 good afternoon nap and bedtime by 8 or so, she still isn't much of an early bird which is fine by me because I have never been a morning person! I just hope she passes the message on to her little sister that Mommy doesn't like early mornings. 

Here is the the little diva on Easter, I think this picture really shows her personality!

Some of her favorite things: "Singing" and dancing to music ( especially The Wheels On The Bus and Itsy Bitsy Spider!), Food- goldfish, fruit, ice cream, bagels and pancakes, waffles, or french toast! She still is a pretty good eater but has developed a bit of a sweet tooth lately! Then again... so have I! She also loves her baby dolls, getting her nails painted, and tormenting the cat. 




Baby #2- She is becoming quite active lately! Daddy even feels her movement from the outside. At this point we haven't completely settled on a name for the little princess but we are thinking possible McKenna. 

Here she is at about 13 weeks!

Me and my pregnancy- For the most part I am feeling pretty good. This pregnancy is pretty similar to mine with Kori. I am going on 21 weeks and can't believe it is more then halfway over! 

Spring Fever

Its official, I have spring fever!! The past few days have been strange yet beautiful weather for March. Needless to say We have been taking advantage of the sunshine and getting some fresh air. ( I have even been doing some spring cleaning!) 


Kori was happy to be reunited with her beloved tree swing after being apart all winter. This is certainly one of her favorite spots on a nice day! 

I am glad I could capture this "Kori Face" This is her new cheesy grin which seems to be plastered to her face all the time lately.  It usually comes a long with a funny little fake laugh. Cracks me up every time!

I still can't believe how fast time is continuing to fly, she amazes me everyday by how smart she is and how much she knows! She has really picked up on her signing lately, mostly "please" "more" and "all done".  And I am pretty sure she now says "CHEESE" for the camera! So funny! What a little bundle of personality this girl is, couldn't imagine my life with out her! <3

Just a quick update

I am so bad about keeping up with this blog but Miss. Kori keeps me pretty busy these days! She is into EVERYTHING!!! One new milestone we have finally reached is the fact that she now sleeps in her crib at night!! Some nights better then others but last night was the best so far, sleeping from 8:30 pm- 9am!! Only waking up once in between. I finally found the trick to get her to go down with out a huge fight, and its the Baby Einstein Lullaby video. I have to set up my laptop next to her crib at night.... I know it sounds ridiculous but it works unlike anything else I have tried!
Right now she is on a pretty good bedtime schedule but for some reason she seems to want to change her nap schedule which for a while was pretty routine. Oh well I am sure it will all fall back into place again.

She has quite the personality these days and continues to learn something new everyday it seems. She is such a silly goofy girl, I love every minute with her! <3

Kori's Hawaiian Luau

Kori's first birthday party was a huge success. The Hawaiian Luau theme was a blast on such a cold winter's day.

 

Her awesome Hula Girl care made by (Great) Aunt Bethany!

 

Having a snack with her friend Peyton

I think Kori truly had a fun time celebrating and playing with all her friends. She is a lucky girl and I hope everyone had as much fun as we did!

Catching up on the past few months...

Wow where has the time gone!? I have gotten really bad with keeping up with my blog, Kori is a busy girl these days its hard to find a lot of free time! 

Here are a few pics from her recent 1st birthday!! I can't believe I am a mom to a one year old!!

Not quite walking on her own but just about! She takes a few steps here and there but that is about it. These days she eats just about anything and everything.( Still haven't found anything she doesn't like) She is such a smiley happy baby, this first year has truly been a blessing <3

Honey-Glazed Chicken Kabobs

Made these for dinner tonight and they were..........DE-LI-CIOUS!

Marinade: 

2/3 cup Soy Sauce

2/3 cup Honey

1/2 cup Canola oil

1 Tbsp. horseradish

2 tsp steak seasoning

2 cloves minced Garlic

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut in 1-2 in cubes

1 red sweet pepper cut into chunks

1 Green pepper cut into chunks

1 large onion cut into chunks

Combine in small bowl first 6 ingredients. Pour one cup of marinade into ziplock with chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 5-6 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade. 

Drain and discard marinade. Alternately Thread chicken and vegetables onto skewers. Cook covered over medium heat ( about 7 min each side) frequently basting with reserved marinade.

YUMMM-A-LICIOUS!

Adventures on Daansen Rd

I try to take Kori and get out for a walk at least a couple times a week. It is about a mile to either end of the road and back and there are a few good sized hills which makes for a decent work out. ( Especially pushing Miss Chunky Monkey up those hills! ahem*) 

Tonight was PERFECT walking weather! A little cooler then most nights this summer. Hot and sticky humid nights aren't as enjoyable! This was our pretty view as we were headed back to the house

 Here is my pretty little passenger chewing happily away on her purse toy. I can tell she really enjoys riding in her stroller by the way she is always cooing and baby talking as we stroll along. I really like this special bonding time with her also! 

We usually head out after I get dinner cleaned up, Its the perfect way to wind down and get ready to end the day. Next comes bath and bedtime routine... and of course some snuggle time! <3

It has been a while since I have posted so I thought I would do a quick update! =] 

Kori is now 7 1/2 months and is such a big girl now! She sits up by herself, eats all sorts of "big girl food" ( that she is even learning to fed herself) and she now has her 2 front teeth on the bottom! Annnnd As of yesterday she has begun to crawl! She sure keeps me busy but I'm so blessed to be able to devote ALL my time to her!

Summer is almost over and I'm sure with the upcoming holidays the next few months will fly by ( they always do) and it will be time for Kori's first birthday before we know it! Time is passing way too fast! When did my snuggly newborn turn into a squirmy monster!?

Some Mom Time

While I was pregnant with Kori I used to enjoy a nice bubble bath several nights a week. I use to love my time to unwind, relax, and sip some tea or read a book. For obvious reasons its been a while since I've enjoyed some "me" time, especially since Brian has been working so much. I feel like hes never home and keeping up with a 7 month old by myself ( yup, 7 months! Time just keeps flying) is not always an easy task! I've been craving a nice relaxing bubble bath for a few nights but by the time I have been able to get a certain someone to bed *cough Kori cough* I've been too pooped too even stay awake for a bath. Tonight I stuck her in her swing in front of the TV ( does this make me a bad mom?) and snuck away to the bathroom for 15 min. Just long enough to drink a cup of Raspberry tea and think about the long "To-do" list I have before bed tonight. I even went all out and lit a candle, Vanilla of course to match my Warm Vanilla scented bubbles. Being a mom sure makes you enjoy the little things in life! 

4th of July

It was bummer that the 4th fell on a Tuesday this year which meant half of our crew including Brian had to head home Monday to be back for work but we made the best of it and Kori enjoyed her first fireworks show.

 Kori looked ADORABLE patriotic tutu. ( Another outfit from Aunt Bethany)

Here is the pretty sunset we got to enjoy while waiting for the fireworks to start.

We always go to the Battlefeild in Sackets and they always have the best display of fireworks, This year was no exception.

Another Fun Weekend At Sackets Harbor

        This time Brian was able to join us for another fun weekend with the family.Its always a blast at "Camp Chaos" and the weather was beautiful! ( Minus a terrible thunder/lightning storm in the middle of the night when Kaylyn's boyfirend Jimime had to be rescued from his tent!)

Kaylyn and I took Brian and Jimmie up to the "Sea Wall"

Kori in her new fancy swim suit from Aunt Bethany

Kori's Veggies

I've been making all Kori's food myself from fresh fruits and vegetables.. 
Not only is it so much healthier but A LOT cheaper! Here Is a new recipe I am trying today.. 


"Vegetable Medley"
ages 4-7 months
Serving contains Carbs/Vit E



1tsp olive oil
1 Lg Carrot peeled/chopped
1 Potato peeled/chopped
1 tbsp. Peas
2 tbsp Corn ( I skipped the corn bc I've read its hard for younger babies to digest)
4 tbsp water


Heat olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add carrot and fry until soft, about 5 min

Add potato,peas,corn,and water and stir to mix. Bring to boil then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about 15 min stir occasionally. 


Puree in blender


( If yours turns out a little thick like mine, add a little breastmilk/formula.. for little ones who are just starting out on solids and trying new things this might help it taste more familiar)


After blending it I freeze in ice cube trays and then store in Tupperware/Freezer bags.That way you have perfect portion sizes! ( 1 serving = 1-2 cubes depending on baby)