Sophia Jo {nine months}

THIS boggles my mind!!

 Holy moly, where did my tiny 7 pound baby go?!

It seems like overnight my baby girl has grown into a little girl. A little girl...with a BIG personality! This past month has probably been one of the best yet!! Sophia continues to change at the speed of light, and this month she hit many new milestones. She got her fist TWO bottom teeth, really started to figure out the whole crawling and moving thing, and said her first word!! It had been one wonderful thing after the next! And like I mentioned before, she sure has developed a personality. This past month is seems like she has perfected her very own 'stink eye', as well as MANY other hilarious faces. She sure keeps us laughing!! 

Highlights from this month...

*Your TWO bottom teeth showed up on the very same day! FINALLY!! We are pretty certain your next teeth are on their way as well...*

*You are on the move! We can't leave you unattended even for a moment anymore as you have gotten really good at flopping onto your tummy and taking off!*

*You have also figured out how to pull yourself up onto things. You also love to 'walk' with us as we hold your hands!*

*You said your first word!! Da da!! Hopefully Mama is next...ha ha!*

*You are sleeping!! We completed a 2 week sleep therapy program with you and it really worked!! HOORAY!!*

*You officially outgrew your baby 'bucket' car seat, so we had to get you a new 'big girl' car seat! You weren't so fond of it as first, but you quite enjoy it now!*

*You got to have a short visit with Uncle Cody when he came home for 3 days!*

*You are weighing in at 23 pounds! You are also wearing 12-18 month clothes now! Almost out of the 'baby section'!! This makes Mommy very sad!!*

*You celebrated Uncle Kellen's Birthday, Great Grandma's birthday, and your first Valentine's Day!*

*You met your new friend Hayley all the way from Germany!!*

*You started your second round of swimming lessons and you are LOVING it!!*

*You watched your first Super Bowl! And you even sampled a few of the snacks!*

*You have started to giggle all of the time! And it is the SWEETEST sound ever!!*


Yummm...eating Mommy's necklace!

Hanging out with Aunty Kim at Great Grandma's 80th Birthday!

All smiles!

Just lounging in your diaper!

Playing with Henrik!

On the move!

Took big for the baby car seat!!

Last trip in the bucket seat...

HELLO big girl!!

All ready for bed! Story time first!

First time eating yogurt!

Sunday dinner snuggles with great grandma!

Pajama play date with Harper! These are the BEST days!!

Riding in the cart like a big girl!

Snuggles!

Having a snack while Mommy makes dinner!

Sophia LOVES playing with Tupperware!!

Yummm POOL WATER!

After dinner walk!

Holding hands with miss Hayley!

Hanging out at the Ice on Whyte festival!

Afternoon workout session with Daddy! 

Uncle Cody is home!!

A little after dinner yoga!

Snuggles!

Sophia LOVES her Uncle Cody and Aunty Brit!!

Check out that pout...

Chewing on EVERYTHING!!

Swimming lessons!

Hitting the road in the pink car!

Enjoying her new toy corner!

Family trip to the Muttart for lunch!

Morning snuggles in Mommy and Daddy's bed are the BEST!

Check out those teeth!!

My pretty girl!!

Helping Uncle Kellen unwrap his Birthday gifts!

YUM! Party hats are delicious!

Still loving her jolly jumper!

Kissing Daddy's finger all better!

We've got a climber on our hands!!

Those moccasins were mine when I was a baby! Now Sophia gets to wear them!

Toast for breakfast!

On the climb again!

Sweet girl!!

Hitting the road!!

Just like her Momma...reading a cooking magazine!! 

February Goals

Where the heck did January go?! Typically I always feel like January is a 'slow' month after the Christmas craziness and such, but this year it seemed to disappear right before my eyes! Today I am reporting on my January goals that I set for myself, as well as posting my February goals. This may be boring for you to read, however I need all the help I can get these days to keep myself accountable! 

These were my January goals...

I feel like I did a really good job accomplishing my January goals!

1. I managed to work out at least twice every week in January! The weather was VERY mild this month, so we were able to go for lots of walks as a family in the evenings. Sophia and I also started our Mommy and baby aquasize class, so that was a bonus workout each week! 

2. I created two separate 'play' areas for Sophia. One area is in our main floor living room. We used to have a decorative chair and side table in this corner, but I got rid of those pieces to make room for our growing toy collection! 

I also moved this Ikea shelf from another room in our house, and converted it into another toy shelf up in our bonus room! I put some of her toys in the wicker baskets from Ikea, and other toys will stay out on the open shelves. I added chalkboard labels to each basket, and drew a picture of what belongs in each basket. Eventually I will erase the chalkboard picture and just write the word, however since she is only 9 months old...we will stick with picture association for now! ha! 

3. I finished organizing the basement! And oh my word, this was a BIG job!!! I didn't take any before pictures...which is too bad, because it would show a HUGE difference. Just picture a GIANT mess of things...with a small path through the middle to navigate through. It was a HOT MESS! Things are MUCH more organized now, and hopefully we can keep it that way. 

Just SOME of my teaching stuff...ugh! 

4. I feel like I spent a little bit more quality time with Damian this month...though I have discovered as new parents, this will be something we will ALWAYS have to work at since there is so much on the go now! We did manage to get out for dinner just the two of us one evening. And we also had quite a few hot tub dates and movie/TV couch nights! Success!

 And now onto my February Goals...

1. I figured I should continue with the exercise goal this month, until it becomes part of my daily routine again! 

2. I love to cook. Thus, I have a TON of cookbooks. I also have a TON of loose recipes that I have printed off or ripped out of a magazine. This month I need to figure out some sort of organizational system for my mountain of recipes!

3. I had gotten into a groove with a few sewing projects back in the Fall, and haven't had a chance to work on anything since then. I have quite a few sewing projects on my 'to do' list, so this month I am hoping to find time to at least complete ONE of them!

4. Eat breakfast! Yikes...It's sad that I need to make this a goal. Plain and simple...I have never liked eating breakfast. And since having Sophia, I find that noon comes around and I realize I still haven't eaten anything yet! Soooo I'm planning on working on that this month! 

5. Read! I hate to admit this, especially because I am a teacher...but I hate to read!! I love children's books, and short stories, but as an adult I have never found reading to be enjoyable. However, there are a few books that have peeked my interest lately, so I plan on picking a few up this month! 

Friday Favorites!!

Yahoo it's FRIDAY! 

I'm linking up again this week with Andrea from Momfessionals for Friday Favorites! If you have a blog, you should link up with your favorites from the week too! 

A few of my favorite things from this week...

*Family Time*

I mentioned last week that Cody was going to be coming home for a VERY short and quick visit because of the NHL All Star Break. He arrived home Sunday afternoon, and him and Brit came straight to our house from the airport! It was SOOO good to see him!! And he was SHOCKED at how big Sophia has gotten! We were able to spend lots of quality time with them in the 3 days that he was home, and I am so glad! We are so proud of him, and happy that he is living his dream of being a professional hockey player! BUT we sure do miss him when he is away!! The countdown to Summer has begun...

*Ice Cream and Babies*

On the weekend, we hosted games night with two other couples. And it just so happens that both of my friends are pregnant and due VERY soon. Soooo I figured that an 'Ice cream sundae bar' would be a fitting snack to go along with our games! It was VERY yummy! And they LOVED it!! 

*TEETH*

After what seemed like YEARS of teething, Sophia finally got her first tooth! And she didn't get just one. She got her TWO bottom teeth on the same day!! We were soooo excited!! They aren't all the way up yet, but getting there. And she is VERY protective of them!! She will not let you anywhere near them!! ha! I have been trying to get a picture of them ALL week and this is all I can get...

This is how she felt about me wrestling her to try to get a picture of her cute teeth...

NOT impressed!! ha ha 

*Ice on Whyte*

We headed to the Ice on Whyte festival with my little family this week! It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed looking at all of the ice sculptures. My favorite part was eating the maple syrup taffy at one of the food stations! YUM!

*Bows!*

I LOVE bows! That is one of the best things about having a little girl!! All of the fun hair accessories that I can collect for her! I decided to try making some of my own Valentine's Day bows for Sophia. I am still experimenting with a few different styles! I will be sure to share the final products once I have them figured out!! 

Thanks for stopping by!

 Have a great weekend!!

Happy Blog Birthday!!

Today is my blogs 2nd Birthday!!

It's hard to believe that I have been writing 'Life on Summerwood Blvd' for TWO years already! My little old blog started as my 2013 New Years Resolution, and has turned into one of my most favourite hobbies. I LOVE having a place to document and keep track of our daily life, especially now that we have Sophia. I have also REALLY enjoyed sharing recipes, party planning ideas, decorating ideas, and pretty much anything else I can think of! ha! 

Here are some fun "stats" from my blog in the past two years:

My first ever blog entry was on January 28/2013 - This is the Beginning!

I have posted 135 blog entries!

As of right now, my blog has 37,064 page views!

My most popular blog post was - Minute to Win It  with 14,602 page views!

My top three most 'pinned' posts from my blog...

Minute to Win It - 189 pins

A Box FULL of Sunshine! - 71 pins

Wall Art - 43 pins 

My favourite blog posts to write thus far... Introducing...Peanut! and Sophia's Birth Story 

My most popular recipe from my blog- Dessert Pizza  with 204 page views 

Thank you SOOOO much for reading my blog and following along with our lives!! I started out writing this blog just for myself, and I have been pleasantly surprised at how many people have contacted me and said they enjoy reading it as well! SO THANK YOU!! It warms my heart to know that I have such support people along on this journey with me! 

~Kelsey 

Friday Favourites!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!
I am linking up again this week with Andrea from Momfessionals blog for Friday Favourites. 

If you have a blog you should link up with your Friday Favourites as well!!

Here are a few of my favourite things from this week...

*NHL All Star Break!*

Yahoo it's the NHL All Star break this weekend!!! 

Now this may sound a little bit backwards...but I actually couldn't care LESS about the all star game!! HA!  BUT the reason that this excites me is the fact that because of the All Star Break, my little brother gets to come home for a quick, unplanned trip for 3 days!! It has been a LONG FIVE months since we have seen him, and Christmas without him at home was particularly hard! So we are all SUPER pumped to spend a few days with him home! It's such a treat!! I am mostly excited for him to see how much Sophia has changed in 5 months!!

This was the last time we saw Cody! 

Sophia was just about to turn 4 months old!! 

*Sleep Training*

This is definitely a favourite this week! We have had a VERY successful first week working with our sleep consultant!! After struggling with any sort of sleep routine with Sophia for the past 5 months we finally bit the bullet and hired someone to help us. And I am SO glad we did!! I plan to do a separate blog post on our sleep training at some point. But so far it's been a LIFE SAVER!!! 

*BarkTHINS*

This is my PSA for the week...

Go to Costco. Buy this bag of chocolate. TRY to NOT eat the entire bag in one sitting. 

Your welcome!

This is my new favourite snack!!

*Valentine's Day*

Valentine's Day is just around the corner! And we all know I take every opportunity to celebrate and go over the top for just about ANY holiday!! I've started collecting a few special things for Sophia for her first Valentine's Day. This is what I have so far...

Annnnnd....

I am really hoping I have a new little niece or nephew to give this onsie to for Valentine's Day!! One of my best friends is due to have her baby a few days before Valentine's Day so fingers crossed they make their arrival in time to celebrate!!

*Swimming Lessons*

Sophia started her second round of swimming lessons again this week! She LOVES the water and is really turning into a little fishy!! It's so funny to watch her in the pool as she gets older. She isn't so interested in the 'cutesy' songs anymore...she just wants to grab all of the toys, and drink all the pool water!! ha ha! What a girl!!

Have a GREAT weekend!!

Mediterranean Chicken

This meal was DELICIOUS!! I remember being forced strongly encouraged to eat cooked spinach when I was a child and I thought it was the most awful thing EVER! I'm not exactly sure when I out grew that sentiment, however I am glad I did! Especially because the cooked spinach that goes with this chicken dish is AMAZING! This meal was quick, easy, and pretty healthy as well!  A perfect score in my books!

Mediterranean Chicken

What you need:

3-4 chicken breast (boneless/skinless)

1 bag fresh baby spinach

1 small basket 'grape' tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese 

In a large bowl combine;chicken, tomatoes, spinach, and oil.

Toss to coat everything with the oil.

In a separate smaller bowl combine; garlic,Italian seasoning, oregano and salt.

Sprinkle this mixture over the chicken/spinach mixture, coating well.

Arrange the chicken and spinach mixture in a single layer on a foil lined baking dish.

Bake at 450' for 22 minutes.

Remove from oven, and sprinkle with feta cheese.

Serve and ENJOY!

Soooo...

I was right in the middle of preparing this meal a few weeks ago and the bowl was sitting on the counter ready to be put in the pan and into the oven. Damian had just gotten home from work and looked at the bowl of food, and then very concerned and confused asked me 'Why did you put RAW chicken in the salad?!' Ha ha! I had to explain to him that, no, I was not trying to poison him and that I would in fact, be cooking all of that together! Nothing like a raw chicken salad?! ha ha! Ick!

Friday Favorites!

Happy Friday!!

So I'm doing something NEW and FUN today! I am linking up with one of my favourite bloggers, Andrea at 'Momfessionals', for a series called Friday Favourites!

 Here are few things making my list this week...

*My RED cast iron dutch oven*

I am LOVING my new dutch oven that I got for Christmas from my parents!! I made some spaghetti sauce this week, and I think it tasted even better because it was made in my new pot! Ha ha!

*Cousin Love*

On Sunday we celebrated my Grandma's 80th Birthday with the whole family! Now that Sophia is getting a little bit older, I LOVE seeing her interact and 'play' with her cousins!! I think these two are going to be buddies!! 

Maryn and Sophia

*Carrots*

Carrots?! Ha ha...yes you read that correctly! Sooo...a little bit of background on how carrots became one of my favourites this week...Damian text me on Monday when I was out grocery shopping, telling me that one of the guys at work told him about THE BEST CARROTS EVER!! And my response was; ummm what?! Carrots are carrots!!. WELL apparently not, because Damian and this guy had a FULL lengthy conversation about these dang carrots. He then informed me that you can only get them from one SPECIAL grocery store! Soooo I was totally intrigued!! Sophia and I made a quick stop at this store on the way home to find these carrots. And when we found them, there was this BIG pink sign in front of them. NEVER IN MY LIFE HAVE I SEEN A LIMIT ON CARROTS!!! I honestly laughed out loud when I saw that!! And thought, sheesh, these carrots MUST be THAT good! Well people...I am here to report that these carrots ARE THAT GOOD!! They taste like 'straight from Grandmas garden' carrots...and that is a treat when its' the dead of winter here!! YUM!!

*Notebooks*

I LOVE cute notebooks and have a TON of them! I picked this one up from Homesense a few weeks ago and have been using it for my New Years Resolution goals. 

Believe in your #selfie 

*The Weather*

It has been unseasonably WARM here for the past few days and it has been WONDERFUL!! Usually it is -30 in January with 5 feet of snow on the ground!! We have been trying to take full advantage of the warm weather and have been going for a family walk every night after dinner. Fingers crossed the warm weather lasts for a few more weeks!

*Cranberry Chicken*

This is one of our favourite dinners and 'go to' meals in our house. 

And what makes it even better is that it is easy peasy to make!!
We had it for dinner last night and it was delish like usual!

Put 6-8 chicken thighs in a baking dish. In a separate bowl, mix together; 1/2 cup Catalina salad dressing, 1 pouch dry onion soup mix, and 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce. Pour over the chicken. Bake at 375'F for 50 minutes. Serve with rice. ENJOY!! 

Have a wonderful weekend!!