spring has sprung

Or so I thought! I couldn't get enough of the 80+ degree weather last week. It was perfect because it was breezy too! I went on a walk with Holden every day and sometimes Allan even got to join us. Then Saturday night comes and it's in the 40s! TEXAS - what is up with that? Anyway, I got these chick salt&pepper shakers for $2.50 [in the dollar section at Target] in hopes that it urges Spring to come back into my life!

Thanks to Emma for the tip off :)


Something else that will hopefully coax the sun to come out? We will have a brand new yard come Monday! I'll post before&after pics. The before pics will make you cringe. 


-Little Wife Power House 

like father, like son

  

-Little Wife Power House

the lone pair of jeans...

This pair of jeans is the last standing in a long line that has slowly - and I mean slowly - come back into my wardrobe rotation since having a baby. 


It's been almost 9 months since having H and I'm starting to think that I'll never fit into what used to be my favorite pair of jeans again. I don't think, though, that it's a weight issue...I think my hips have forever spread out a bit. That just happens when you have a baby! 


I'm still holding onto them in hopes that one day they'll fit again...should I just give them up and save me the disappointment of trying them on every so often and not being able to button them? 


-Little Wife Power House


PS Check out these sandals they have at Target for only $15...PERFECT for summer! They have bronze, gold, turquoise, coral, black, and white. All of the colors look great. I got two pairs :)

LWPH's ABC's

A. Age: 23
B. Bed size: King
C. Chore you hate: Sweeping/Mopping - it hurts my back!
D. Dogs: We have a little chihuahua, Koda.
E. Essential start to your day: My iPad. I browse facebook/blogs/twitter while nursing H in the morning. I really will miss nursing [for a few reasons].
F. Favorite color: Green!
G. Gold or silver: Silver.
H. Height: 5′2″
I. Instruments you play: Nada. I wish I could play the piano, though!
J. Job Title: Mother/Manager [I think is my "official" job title]
K. Kids: I'm with That Wife - If you don’t know about my kid, you’ve probably never read my blog.

L. Live: DFW
M. Mom’s name: Ellen
N. Nicknames: Big Booty Jen [lol]
O. Overnight hospital stays: When I had H
P. Pet peeve: Tardiness [others and myself...I HATE being late!]
Q. Quote from a movie:

"If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around." -Love Actually

R. Right or left handed: Right.
S. Siblings: Lori, Steve, John, Julie, Chris
T. Time you wake up: When my baby wakes up.
U. Underwear: Yeah, I wear it.
V. Vegetables you dislike: PEAS! I HATE PEAS! [inside joke. funny story, really.]
W. What makes you run late: "Oh, I forgot ____." *Runs back inside* "OH CRAP, I forgot ____ too!" *Runs back inside again*
X. X-Rays you’ve had: My wrist when I broke it...I think that's it? 

Y. Yummy food you make: I make a mean chicken parm.

Z. Zoo animal: Monkeys! 

Water Park Baby

Today we went to the indoor water park with Lori, JR, & Asher. I'm pretty sure it's Holden's favorite place on earth! I've mentioned before that he loves splashing in baths so imagine him in a huuuuuge bath! My glasses were constantly spotted, my hair got soaked, etc and I loved every single minute of it. This summer, we are going to buy the family pass so we can go all of the time. How can I not after the squeals and smiles of today? 

-Little Wife Power House

just wanted to say a quick HI to seesallierun's readers that have wandered over to my blog this week! Glad to have you! Hope you enjoy your stay and come back soon. :o)

PS I will be guest blogging on seesallierun very soon so keep your eyes peeled!

play date with baby benjamin!

sallie's SIL, Danielle, has a super cute 4 1/2 month old baby boy, Benjamin. He has the sweetest disposition and loves to make noises with his mouth! This was the first time holden has interacted with a baby close-ish to his age and it was awesome to watch! Obviously since Baby Benjamin [hereafter known as BB!] was younger, he wasn't as interested in Holden but man, H loved pointing at BB...especially his sweet, chubby cheeks! We got some great pictures of them standing together and here they are in the order taken...

[hmm...who is this giant baby in front of me?]

[uhhhh dad, I'm not so sure about this!!]

[hey, there buddy.]

[they warmed up to each other pretty quickly. I'd say they left as friends :)]

 

I love these pictures of H & BB! I wish Holden had more "friends" around his age to have play dates with. Thanks for letting us play with your cute baby, Danielle!


By the way, we landed in Lubbock, TX last night for a breather before making the trek home to Dallas today. Pray for us that H will be as good today as he was yesterday :) Even if he isn't...at least it's a short trip...


-Little Wife Power House

The Pie

Any Utahns [?] or regular vacationers ever been to The Pie? My brother, John, recommended this pizza joint.

Thank you, John. This pizza was sooo good. We almost bought a pizza twice this size! Thank goodness the cashier talked us out of the $40 pizza. We even had a little bit left over!

The Pie has some awesome graffiti done by its patrons! The walls are completely covered. 

Here we are at the entrance. It's an underground pizzeria which made it a little hard to find but not too bad. Reminded us of The Tomato [RIP] in Denton. 

If you're in SLC, you should definitely go to The Pie! It's great pizza, a fun atmosphere, very nice employees and reasonably priced!

-Little Wife Power House

Happy 8 Monthday, Holden!

 Nicknames: Booger, mr. holden, stinker [that one is thanks to teething], my little guy
Temperament: You will go to other people easier now unless you just woke up or are hungry...then you want momma. You are so talkative! You are great at the "a" sound! You sooth yourself by making noises with your mouth [learned that thanks to a 16 hour roadtrip!]
Things I Could Do Without: Well, I have a lot to complain about this week but that is unusual and none of my complaints are actually your fault. You are teething and we are out of town so the little schedule we had is completely thrown off. You have been up so much during the night this last week and have been crankier than usual thanks to those bottom two teeth coming in. You also broke my necklace this week! I knew it was coming...you love it so much :)
Item/Toy We Love The Most: Your new Montessori Baby Toys.  
Item/Toy You Love The Most: The iPad. You have been especially fond of it since we are out of town and a lot of your toys aren't here. You love to play the piano on it, look at fish in the iPad "aquarium" and play with the rattle game [it's kind of weird but you seem to love it!]
Things I'm Loving Most Right Now: You are pointing at everything! You figured out how to use that pointer finger this month. You use it to try and get things, to point at parts of my face, to point at people. You also have kind of started to wave. Not really waving, but definitely the starts of it! You are so good with your hands now! 
Things You're Loving Most Right Now: The wind. You put your arms out like you're flying, get a huge smile on your face, and your hair sticks up like a cockatoo. It's just the best. See!

Milestones: You're sitting up so well by yourself. You can sit up forever it seems! You have gotten up on all fours a few times but not crawling yet [stay my baby for a little longer, please!!]


Sorry I'm a little late on posting about his birthday. Vacation has been calling my name. I have tons to write about so I'm trying to get caught up. We celebrated Holden's 8 monthday at my Dad's up in Utah. Had a roast dinner and [more importantly] cake! Holden, we love you so much and you make our lives so much happier with every little thing you do. Hard to believe your 1 year birthday is coming up so soon! 


-Little Wife Power House

Montessori Baby Toys

I mentioned in this post that I had recently purchased some Montessori items for H from Pinkhouse. I wish I would have found them earlier! Janice was inspired to make these Montessori toys for her own daughter and now is sharing them with all of us! I love them because I don't have to worry about what my son is chewing on. I don't have to worry about him swallowing small parts. I love that they are natural and that each toy has a specific purpose in my little guy's development. 

[direct link]

I couldn't choose just one so I decided to get the package deal. You get the two nesting toys, the interlocking disks, the grasping beads, and the rattle [Janice's own design]. You can follow the link above if you would like to read more about each individual toy. 

[direct link]

The interlocking disks have been Holden's favorite so far. He loves to hold half in between his fingers and put the other half in his mouth. It's the perfect width for him to chomp on when his gums are sore. He transfers it from hand to hand and usually chooses it over others if given the option. 

[direct link]

I'm excited to watch him figure out the nesting toys. The package I bought includes an egg nesting toy [right] and a peg nesting toy [left]. So far Holden takes the egg/peg and it goes straight to his mouth. Anything you give him goes straight to his mouth.  That's just the stage he is in right now.


I completely recommend these toys. I also bought some Montessori toys here but he won't be able to use them for about 6+ months. They seem to be a hit for my 2yo nephew, though! 


Holden approves. I wasn't lying when I said he loves them! He even toppled over his basket because he was so eager to get to the toys :)

[Thank you, Janice, for letting me use your pictures and creating these wonderful products! Pictures taken by Katherine O'brien. Janice did not ask me to write about her products and these are solely my opinions...and of course holden's!] 

-Little Wife Power House

Springville, UT

Okay, so I know I promised LIVE BLOGGING from the road [along with seesallierun] and we so did not deliver! I have a good excuse though! Most of the trip we did not have service and especially not internet service so yeah...live blogging was not an option. And we've been having too much fun here in Utah and keep forgetting to update our blogs! Bad bloggers. Forgive us? 

We left at 3AM...yes 3AM last Saturday. It was Allan's bright idea [actually, it turned out to be a great idea]. We made it to Springville around 8PM and got to go out with my brother and SIL at Zupa's! I was going to put up a picture of Sallie & Garrett at 3AM when we were leaving but I don't think Sallie wants me to so I'll be a good friend and leave it off. Even though they look good!

This whole trip we have been serious tourists. You'll see in the posts to come! I love the "Life Elevated" at the bottom. So funny. 

Holden was really good on the long, long drive. Long. He entertained himself for a while when his mouth discovered his toes...

Anyway, more to come on the trip. Temple Square. Park City. The Sweet Tooth Fairy. Holden's 8 month birthday. Holden's new friend. Happy St. Patty's Day! Holden is wearing green...

["Irish you would kiss me!"]

Check out the fedora we got Holden while shopping at the Park City outlets earlier today! He wanted to be like his cousin, Asher.

Doesn't he look like he belongs in a retirement community playing shuffleboard? I love it! Hope everyone is enjoying this "holiday!"

-Little Wife Power House

going to the LBK

I decided to take some really healthy snacks on our trip to LBK. Pudding has to be the most random road trip snack ever, right?! I couldn't bear the thought of leaving all that pudding at home uneaten...

we stopped for some lunch and holden wanted to drive. being the responsible parents we are...of course we let him! 

"Hi fellow drivers!"

"Turn that radio up!"

the trip was relatively painless. the best part is that when we finally got there, we got to see Sallie & Garrett! 


-Little Wife Power House

why is baby stuff so fun to buy?

So...remember this post [from about a week ago] about how I want an ERGO carrier for baby #2? 

ALLAN: YOU CAN STOP READING NOW.

Well...I justified realized I would get more for my money if I purchased it now and used it for Holden and our other little ones that will come along. Makes perfect sense, right?

Isn't it so cute? Organic, too! I just wish I had it for our trip up to Utah this next week. Holden could get all snuggled in while we walk around Park City and whatnot. Oh wells. I'll have it for our next trip...whenever that may be!

Also, COME ON - we're getting a ton of money for our tax return [thank you house credit & holden] so can't I get one awesome thing and save the rest?! I'm good at justifying purchases, aren't I? It's a talent. Ask my hubby.

Anyway, I'm very excited to get it. I really can't wait. I'll tell you guys all about it and post pictures in roughly 7-10 days!

Once again, you can find ERGO's full line of baby carriers here. 


-Little Wife Power House

Utah here we come...

Spring Break is upon us. And even though neither my husband or I actually get a "Spring Break" since we both work, we decided to take the week off and road trip it with some of our best friends! Are we crazy for taking an 8 month old on a looooooong road trip to Utah?! Maybe. It will definitely be an adventure!

We are driving the 5 hours to Lubbock on Friday and staying the night with Sallie & Garrett. Breaking up the trip a little will make it much easier. 

 

We'll wake up briiight and eaaaarly on Saturday, get breakfast burritos on the way out of town and make the 15 hour trek to Springville, UT. Sallie & Garrett don't have any kiddos yet and I think this might make them want to hold off a little longer :) 

While in Utah, I plan on:

• Visiting some antique shops that I read about on The Rockstar Diaries. Works out perfectly that they happen to be in Springville! 
• Spending time with my family 
• Kicking Sallie & Garrett's boot-ays at Just Dance 2!!
• Spending some money at the outlets & other shops in Park City [crossing my fingers that I'll see David Boreanez again!]
• Temple Square/session at the SLC temple with Sallie & Garrett
• Drinking lots of hot chocolate & eating lots of yummy food

Any other things we have to do while up there? I'd love to hear any ideas! LWPH & seesallierun will be blogging live from the road so stay tuned!

Read about the road trips to & from west texas here and here.

-Little Wife Power House

the best day of my life

I was thinking earlier about how much I love my hubby & my son. I was reading The Rockstar Diaries [LOVE her blog. check it out.] and she was talking about how she couldn't believe how much her heart grew when she had her baby girl. It really is amazing. After almost 8 months, I still look at Holden every day and think about how much I love him. With all of that being said - when Holden was born was still not the best day of my life. Wait! Let me explain! 

The best day of my life was when I was sealed to my best friend forEVER. Not just till death do us part. forever. After more than three years, I still look at Allan every day and think about how much I love him and how I could never imagine my life without him. On that day, I was not only promised to be with Allan forever...but Holden [and all of our other children we are sure to have] too. Who wouldn't want that! I wouldn't even have Holden if it weren't for meeting my wonderful hubby and marrying him on that hot August afternoon.

So, thank you, Allan for choosing me even though I'm crazy, neurotic, and a little OCD. Thank you for giving me the best gift ever. I get endless love, forgiveness, and patience from you.

And please - no one mention how both Allan & I were skinnier back then. Thanks in advance! :)

What was the best day of your life? 

[Can you choose?!]

-Little Wife Power House

Holden's Treasure Basket

My sister left a link on my facebook the other day. We've been talking about Montessori works that Holden is ready for lately and she came across this great idea: The Treasure Basket. I have to admit that I was immediately intrigued because the person who came up with the idea said it kept her son entertained for 40 minutes every morning! Then I loved the idea of Holden being able to explore different textures and temperatures. Here he is exploring our first Treasure Basket:

This is proof of two things: that he is sitting up now! aaaand that he smiles more :) He did a face plant shortly after this picture but he's getting better every day. This morning he sat up for 5 minutes straight unassisted. Go H! 

Our Treasure Basket includes: a textured rubber ball [the robots!], a hairband that my friend Sallie made for me [has buttons, is knit, and is multi layered because of the cute flower she put on it], a metal spoon, a wood spoon, an empty CD case, a glove, an empty baby food container, and an etched wood block. His favorites have been the wood & metal spoons and the textured ball. I think as the next few weeks go on he'll start exploring the items more. I plan on switching them out every so often.

The idea came from this post by Sew Liberated. I also recently purchased some items here on Etsy. The oldest recommended age for the toys I purchased is 9 months so they are perfect "works" for Holden's age. I'm excited to introduce them to him! 

Enjoy the weekend! BTW, I got up at 5AM on a Saturday! Curses of having a child. Husband is fast asleep...


-Little Wife Power House

prune baby

I originally learned about these through Cooking With My Kid. She used these while travelling. Holden really likes to do things for himself [at least try...] so I thought he would love these. I was right! Allan helped him with the first one we tried and he loved it. I wanted Holden to work on figuring it out for himself...how to hold it, how to get the food out, how hard to press the pouch to get the right amount. Might take him a while to figure out but eventually he'll get there. He got a little crazy so Allan stepped in and helped him at the end :) He probably got 3/4 of the pouch in his mouth so I would call that a success! [pictures are from our second try with the pouches]

Required: bath. 

BEFORE

AFTER

[a little booty shot. just a little! too cute.]

If you're interested in the brand, lemme know. I would put it in the post but it's downstairs and I'm lazy :) There are a few different brands though in the baby food aisle at Target. They're organic, too! Next week we'll be trying the mango pouches. I bet he'll love them just as much.

-Little Wife Power House

PS Holden is sitting up on his own now! With and without propping himself up. Proud Momma.