Carson Update!

I know I've been horrible with updating but I feel so guilty blogging instead of spending time with my adorable son!  Right now he's napping so this is going to be mostly a picture post.  (Isn't that the type that we all love anyway?!)

 If you want more frequent updates, follow me on instagram (@EmilyP103).  You can also click the button on my right sidebar to find me on Statigram! ----->

The last time I updated was Father's Day (awful blogger award right here).  Here are a few pics from Father's Day and a few others to show you what Carson has been up to!

Carson, Grandpa, Daddy

Daddy, Carson, Great Grandpa!

Carson turned 1 month old (June 18th)!

We've been on playdates with Hallie:

We read stories every night:

We practice tummy time...Carson loves being on his tummy but doesn't like to work too long :)

Carson has started to grab at the things on his playmat (and in his bouncer), he loves it!

Carson also likes to grab anything that gets within his reach (like Mommy's hair and Daddy's glasses)!

Carson loves making little bubbles lately :)

Bathtime is his FAVORITE!

We celebrated Carson's first holiday (besides Memorial Day)!

Carson loves his Grammy!

Aunt Shannon is so fun, she's going to be Carson's Godmother!

Carson and Mommy went to a "Meet the Baby" shower with our family!

Don't worry, I didn't forget about Chip & Dixie!  They love Carson and didn't have any problems with being jealous or anything!  Here they are after their haircut last week:

Such great fur siblings :)

Carson has started to coo (adorable) and SMILE within the past couple weeks as well.  So fun :)

I can't believe he'll be 2 months old tomorrow!! 

Happy Father's Day!

I hope everyone has a great Father's Day!  Did you forget to get a gift?  Oh, no!

I found this idea on Pinterest a while ago and knew I had to do it.  I love how it turned out!  Here is the original pin:

Source: brittanyandmattcoleman.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

Here is my version:

I made this collage so we could have a digital version but I actually printed each picture and bought a 3-slot frame to give to Nick.  Cost of project = cheap!  The D and A were $2.99 each at JoAnn's and the frame was about $7 at Kohls.  We already had a plain white onesie and the "backdrop" is just a blue blanket!

I also bought him a pair of shoes he's been wanting for a while.  They're *so* weird but he has wanted them forever! 

What did you all get the fathers in your life for this special holiday??

A DIY Valentine's Day Treat!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!!  As a lot of you know, I teach intervention (reading and kindergarten).  Because of this, I haven't planned any Valentine's "parties" since my students will already be exchanging cards and treats in their homerooms.  I still wanted to do something small for my kids so I decided to make a little Valentine treat!


I saw this idea a long time ago for teacher appreciation week and I loved it! Who doesn't love s'mores?!


Make Your Own S'more Goodie Bag (supplies are for ONE bag, multiply as needed)
2 graham cracker squares
1 jumbo marshmallow
1 miniature Hershey bar
1 gift bag
1 gift bag tag/label

All of my supplies cost $10 and I made 24 bags!  I found the Valentine's gift bags in the Target dollar spot.  (Where else?!)  I made my own labels on Word and it was super easy!  The front of the label says "We need S'more students like you!"  The back of the label has instructions on how to prepare the s'more:

"Place one graham cracker on a microwave safe plate, top with chocolate and a marshmallow.  Microwave on high for 12-15 seconds or until marshmallow doubles in size.  Top the marshmallow with the remaining graham cracker.  Press slightly to secure.  Enjoy your gooey chocolate treat!"

Here are my supplies all ready to be assembled:

 Folding the labels during parent-teacher conference night:

 The finished product:

Such a fun and easy treat for the students!  I also had a few extra supplies left over so I could make a s'more for myself, yum!

We're also reading some Valentine's books today/this week....

 

Happy New Year, Blogland!

Today was the first day back to school (work) for what seems like a LONG time!  My last day was December 16th...that's crazy!  The kids were surprisingly good today and I was thankful because I'm trying to beat a bad cold!

What did everyone do for NYE?  We had a low key get together at our place with some of our best friends.  We played some card games, the boys played cornhole [in the basement], and we watched Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest on TV.  Did anyone else think Dick Clark was going to retire?!

Usually I'm not too into watching the TV special until the ball drops, but this time we all watched while we sipped champagne.  Me and one of my best friends Kelli (also prego) were sipping on some tasty sparkling juice!

Hubby & I toasting for the New Year!

Some of the group :)

I also made a few snacks for my friends that came over...all of the recipes can be found on my pinterest page (follow me by clicking the link in my right sidebar)!

Peanut Butter Blossoms (I changed this recipe up a bit by putting the PB cookies into a mini muffin tin and then putting the kisses in upside down.)

Andes Mint Cookies

Easy Ranch Cheese Ball (I modified this recipe a bit from what was on my Pinterest.  I used 2cups of sharp cheddar shredded cheese along with a half cup of colby-jack.  I also used regular (fat free) ranch dressing instead of a dressing packet.  I don't care for pecans so I used walnuts instead!)...sorry, no pic, we dug in right away!

A friend of mine also brought these hilarious cake-pops she made.  They were pretty tasty and very cute, too!

 

Holiday Decor and More!

 First of all, let me just share my excitement.  My district announced today that a lot of people (read: parents) had been complaining about our January 2nd return to school date.  They didn't like that childcare centers were closed and a lot of them had the day off and wanted to spend it with their children.  I guess there were enough complaints to make the district feel like something needed to change.  SO, we aren't going back to school until January 3rd!  That means I'm on break starting this Friday at 4pm until January 3rd!!  I'm so excited.  The only thing they had to do to make it justified/legal was to tack on a day to the end of our school year.  While this bothers some of my co-workers, it doesn't bother me because I'll be on maternity leave.  Happy day!

I've had fun stalking looking at everyone's holiday decorations so I decided to take some crappy high quality cell phone pictures of my own!  I didn't include my kitchen table which has a super cute table runner and place mats b/c it is currently clutter-tastic with mail, school stuff, and candles galore (thanks for the 2 for $20 sale, Bath & Body Works)!

Our tree....LED lights with old school star!

Our mantel and stockings.  I know it's plain, but I've been on a clutter-free kick.....oh, and I know MY stocking doesn't match (grrr...OCD)!  Do you like Chip & Dixie's new stockings?  They have embroidered initials and they were $1.40 at Kohls!

I keep seeing cute holiday card displays all over blog-land and Pinterest.  I wanted to make one using foam board, fabric, and ribbons.  HOWEVER, hubby talked me out of it and I he came up with this super cheap idea instead.  I bought a bag of 50 mini clothespins ($1.50) and used twine we already had at home.  It doesn't look great, but I think it will be more exciting when I add more cards!  Send me your cards, people!  (I swear, I'll get mine out before Friday.)

close up of the mini clothepins

I bet you're wondering what "and more" means.  No?  That's ok, I'll fill you in anyway.  I felt like I haven't put up any pictures of my pups lately so here is a pic of them getting into our Christmas gifts (we need to WRAP)!  There was a bag with a couple dog toys and bones and they sniffed it out and were digging through all the bags to find it.  GUILTY!

One more thing.  On the way to work yesterday, I went to take a swig of my juice and my freezing cold hands slipped while I was trying to twist open the travel mug lid.  My nail BROKE.  Not just broke, but broke off bad.  I wanted to cry like a baby but instead I rushed to work to bandage it up.  I'm still trying to think of a solution...nail glue, super glue, cut it off?  Ew.

Sorry for the sideways pic....