Changes...

Ah so our punkin is officially eating solid foods...well not sure how much is exactly getting in her, but I am constantly finding leftovers on her :)  She is growing up so fast, it's exciting and sad all at the same time!  She is starting to sit up by herself and I don't think it will be too long before that toothless grin is a thing of the past :( 
We also have some big news as a family.  Bryan has accepted a job at Baptist Bible College, in Clarks Summit, PA.  He will be an admissions counselor, working to recruit students to the school.  We will be moving on December 27th for him to be able to start for the next semester.  We feel this job will be a good fit for him as well as for us as a family.  Right now he is rarely home for dinner and he has to miss so much on the weekends.  It will be nice to be able to have a semi normal life, especially with Lola eating with us soon. 
It will be such a blessing to be close to my family!  I am excited to spend tons of time with my nephew and for Lola to have a new friend :)
It will be hard to leave Tulsa, it has been home for 2 and 1/2 years and we got married here and had Lola.  All of Bryan's family now live here and we will really miss them.  Our church is another thing that has really been special to us.  We have developed some great relationships here. 
The next months will stretch us and push us, but I pray that I will lean hard into God and His perfect plan for our lives as a family and individually. 

Practice run today, Real thing tomorrow!

5 and 1/2 months!

Whoa, this is so cliche to say, but honestly, where has the time gone?!  I can't believe we are approaching the 6 month mark and  no one has gone crazy or lost any limbs :)

Lola is doing something new every day it seems like.  She is rolling both ways now, more from her back to belly, but she's starting to figure out how to go back the other way.  She's scooting a ton and getting up on all fours so I have a feeling crawling is in our near future.  She also does the plank position up on her toes and hands, the girl's got abs to die for I tell ya ;)

She says mamamama, just in between jibberish, then when you ask her to say Mama, she looks at ya and goes MMMMMM...such a tease.

She is very alert and aware of people.  When Bryan starts to talk while shes eating, she totally stops and stares at him.  Sometimes he just has to be quite so she won't get distracted.  I think we may have a Daddy's girl on our hands.

When Bryan comes home from work he makes this shocked face, like he's excited to see her and she'll do it back.  It's cute.  Bryan said that'll be their thing when she's 30 .  LOL.

We transitioned into her crib this past week.  Major breakdowns did occur from all parties earlier in the week, but we are all starting to get adjusted.

We are heading to PA on Nov. 2nd to celebrate a sweet little boy's first birthday and are so excited!  Hard to believe a year ago we were gearing up to meet him for the first time all we knew about Lola was a few kicks and punches.

Well that's all for now!

Lola's Dedication

These days...

Things have been welllllll ...exhausting.  Lola is going through some sort of 4 month wakeful period and she absolutely hates sleep of any kind. She fights it tooth and nail...well not tooth yet :)  I am really finding myself becoming more intent on studying her,  I just want to know whats wrong and how to fix it, because like any mother I hate to hear her cry.   As a result, I am starting to interpret her cries more, like the "I'm really mad at you for making me lay down" cry or the "I rolled over and now I'm stuck" cry or the ever popular, "I'm not gonna fall asleep even if I have to scream to keep myself awake" cry.    I think I am kind of in a wakeful period myself, with trouble sleeping or taking naps.  I don't want to, just in case I miss something!

We started putting her in the nursery last Sunday...EEK!!  It was scary, but I had a great peace about it.  I knew it was time.  I usually ended up leaving the service with her and I just really was starting to starve spiritually.

Bryan and I really want to reconnect with others and each other, since it seems like we have unplugged with all the adjustments and now we just don't fit back in our same little life.  We are sifting through where we fit into a small group and want to start going to a S.H.A.P.E. class at our church just to refocus on our strengths and how God has wired us to serve Him.  We are also going to start reading a book together and then once a week discuss it. We did this a few times when we were dating and it was a really good way for us to connect and to grow spiritually at the same time.  We chose, "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.  Only just finished the second chapter, but I can already see it's going to be a life changer.

We are going to run the Tulsa Run, a 15k here in Tulsa...(might be where they got the name) on October 29th, then take a few days to get packed and we are heading to PA for a celebration, although slightly belated.  My nephew turns one! and to just spend some time with my family since we won't be able to go home for the holidays.

On a more serious note, I've been challenged recently to live with no regrets, specifically in the thought arena.  I can get (especially lately) so consumed by worry and stress that I just toss aside the truths of God's control and love.  When I used to hear people talk about living with no regrets, I would be in awe because I regret things every day.  But I think this is less about being perfect and more about focusing on the end result, bringing glory to God.

Well I better get going, little Lola is starting to stir, from her NAP! yes, maybe we are turning a corner here :)  Until next time!
 

Vegan and Lola Love

This week has been a crazy one, with some late and long nights with Lola.  She decided to roll over from her back to her stomach on Friday.  It's hard to believe next Thursday will mark one year from the day that we found out I was pregnant.  Life truly has changed!

To add to all the excitement around here we had some delicious meals this week, and here they are...

Enchiladas with avocado cilantro cream sauce
http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6002015&prev_term=entree

These were good, but I think I would change the enchilada sauce that I used and cut back on the cilantro in the cream sauce, not that big of a fan of the flavor.

I made a salad with some brown rice with greens, peas, garbanzos, roasted turnip and sweet potato and Mmmm sauce :)
http://peasandthankyou.com/2011/04/12/wannabe-recipea-mmmm-sauce/

 This was good.  I didn't have any curry powder so I improvised a little, but it has a nice flavor and creamy texture.  Next time I might swap out the almonds for cashews in the sauce as I find they make sauce thicker.  It's good on pretty much any combo of veggies.

Next we had lentil meatballs on brown rice pasta and fresh green beans....this was really, really good! 
The recipe is from my new cookbook! Check it out :)

 Dessert is last but definitely not least!  I tried two variations of banana soft serve (Frozen bananas and almond or soy milk in a food processor)

First up was Carob (tastes a lot like chocolate)  it was really good. Verrrrrrry creamy.

And the GRAND FINALE!  The AMAZING Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough "Blizzard".  If you don't try any vegan dessert for the rest of your life, try this!  I'm telling you it's the best frozen treat.  I can't wait to make it again!  Not to hard either!
http://ohsheglows.com/2011/03/18/chocolate-chip-cooke-dough-blizzard/

The best part of the week though was hanging out with my girl.  I love her more and more every second!  Until next time...

My week in pictures...

To keep myself on track with my new goal to do more cooking and meal planning I am going to start blogging  some of the weeks recipes.  Here goes nothing...

Strawberry Spelt Pancake Sandwich with mashed banana and almonds
http://ohsheglows.com/2010/01/02/healthy-spelt-pancakes-for-one/

 These were great after our first family run in the new jogging stroller, for the record, Bryan kicked Lola and I's behind, but it was still fun!


Spicy Black Bean Burgers with avocado on a Sprouted Grain Bun and steamed zucchini
http://www.eatliverun.com/boyfriend-approved-spicy-black-bean-burgers/

These were good.  I'm not a fan of spicy, so I used the smallest jalapeno I could find and made sure to scrape out ALL the seeds, they had a little kick, but I liked them.  The buns were really good for frozen, Alvarado Street Bakery:

with the avocado just made it the perfect meal!




Meatless Meatloaf Muffins and Sweet Potato Fries

http://peasandthankyou.com/2011/07/18/vegan-values-italian-style-meatless-meatloaf-muffins

 These were good.  Bryan said he liked them better than regular meatloaf, so from him, I'd say that's pretty good.  They were really a lot like meatloaf, but with more texture and flavors.

Well I'd say I did pretty good for my first week, since my goal is to make at least one meal.  Lets see how next week goes! :)

The Up Side

The joy of these days is amazingly more than I could ever have hoped.  Joy is a choice, but it's depth is unmatched by any fleeting feeling.  I am learning more each day and becoming more comfortable in this new skin.
We just finished our first successful week of 100% cloth diapering!  I am excited to keep this up and save tons o money in the process :)

 Lola is getting to be a pro at holding her head up and she has even rolled over 3 times!

 She loves her Sophie and her little seat (Thanks to her cousin Judah)

She is smiling a ton...although never for a picture :)

This should be arriving TOMORROW!

My new jogging stroller!! Thanks to some generous people at our church, we had enough money to cover most of this, plus the carseat adapter so we can use it ASAP!  I went for a little trial workout today, pre-stroller and am happy to say it was really the first satisfying workout I've had since September 11, 2010 when I broke my ankle at 8 weeks pregnant.  We have a great running trail across the street from our apartment and Bryan has started running too, so we can have a family run soon :)

Everyday is a challenge and a blessing, but most definitely worth every second!