VIDEO: Cook with Me | Lasagna Soup | Chicken Stir Fry | Creamy Tuscan Salmon | Ham and Bean Soup

Happy Wednesday! I had said this video wouldn't be ready until Friday but, I was just way too excited about it to wait! Today, I'm sharing 4 recipes that we've been making on rotation around here lately. This was a lot of fun to record. Let me know if you try any of these recipes and what you think about them!

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Still Not Ready to Set a Weight-Loss Goal

The season I'm in is unique. It's not unique in that nobody else has ever experienced it before, as much as it's just a unique season for me.

This is a special season where I get to stay at home with my girls. I am not sure for how long I will remain at home, but it will be for a little while. I've done this before, but never with two children. Right now, I have a 6 year old and a 3 month old. This next year will be filled with rapid changes in my littlest one's development, and I get a front row seat to it, every day. This is privilege and I want to savor it!

I am very aware that I have been writing more about my family than my weight-loss journey, which may not be what some of you are here for. I want so badly to have a desire to reach new goals on the scale. Doing so was a challenge I loved dearly in the past, but it's not a challenge I am interested in during this unique season of life. I am still not ready to set any official weight-loss goal or post weekly weigh-in's. Instead, I'd like to be more focused on keeping myself and my family more healthy and happy, overall.

While I'm not ready to set a weight-loss goal right now, I am ready to start being more mindful of what I'm feeding my body {spirit and mind}. I definitely want to lose weight but, I don't want that to be the focus of this season. Not quite yet. Some women are ready to tackle that goal quicker than others after having a baby. For me, I am going to just continue working on the balancing act of taking care of this family I've been blessed with, while also working on taking care of myself. I think we'll naturally get to a good place with that focus in mind.

Thanks for sticking around and witnessing my journey. I do have some exciting things coming up, soon! Currently, I'm working on finishing a video with four recipes we've been making on rotation lately. Come back on Friday for some fresh ideas for your meal plan!

Spring Fever + Laid-off Adventures

Hey, everyone! It's been a little while since I last checked in. I believe this tends to happen to me every Spring when the weather begins to turn. We have been spending a lot of time outside lately and so I haven't had as much time to sit down and write. However, I have very much missed our little check-in's here, so let me catch you up on some of our recent adventures!

My husband has been laid off from work (seasonally) for the past couple weeks and so we've been soaking up all the extra family time while also trying to balance checking off some things on our to-do list.

One of the very first days my husband was home from his seasonal lay-off he woke up early with the girls, let me sleep in and brought home my favorited iced vanilla coffee in bed. That was a great way to start the day!

We had a fun time celebrating St. Patrick's Day at home with the girls! We ordered the best take-away Reubens and now that I'm writing about it, I'm craving them all over again.

We have taken so many family walks over these past few weeks! Watching my big kid ride her scooter while I push my baby in the stroller has got to be in my top 10 most favorite sights to see. This season is so incredibly sweet! We all love spending time outside together! Delaney especially loves the outdoors, as it's a whole new world for her to explore and take in.

My husband and I had a "date night" (still with the girls) where we went out, ordered pizza and drank a beer. We must have timed everything really well because even with the kids there, our little date was so relaxing and exactly what we needed. Everyone was so happy!

I don't believe we've had a true date night out, just the two of us, since November (4 months)! Having a baby during a pandemic has made date nights out even more challenging but, I know we'll get them back eventually. Until then, we are really enjoying this sweet season we're in!

On Monday this week, we took our first zoo trip as a family of 4! It was so much fun and very sentimental to finally be back at the zoo, as a complete family of 4. 

I remember dreaming of how these days might look last summer while I was pregnant with Delaney. The trip was even better than I imagined it would be. I did take some video during our zoo trip and I hope to make a vlog out of that footage someday soon.

Today is Friday. It is a little chilly, rainy and very windy. I am about to get started on remote schooling with Piper soon, and then I have plans to go grocery shopping {alone} later this afternoon. I'll probably end my Friday folding piles of laundry with my husband while catching up on some shows once the kids are asleep.

Hope you all have a great weekend and I hope to share even more updates next week!

Delaney Jane: Three Months

Baby Laney is 3 months old! This update feels like it came up much quicker than the rest. Delaney is very clearly not a newborn anymore. She is trying to sit up any chance she gets. She loves to coo and giggle. She is ticklish under her chin. She is so joyful! We are incredibly blessed by her.

Delaney is not liking her day naps as much as she once was but, she sure loves to sleep at night! She will usually sleep from 9pm - 4am, and then after a bottle she goes right back to sleep until 6/7am. We can't ask for more than that! We are really hoping we all make it through the 4 month sleep regression {coming soon} with a similar schedule.

Some of Delaney's favorite things at 3 months old are:

-bath time

-car rides

-giggling at funny faces and sounds

-tickles under her chin

-watching big sister do... anything

-visiting with family

-being held and walked around in our arms

-sitting up {assisted + in her bumbo}

-standing up {assisted}

Some things Delaney is not so fond of:

-when the car isn't moving

-naps during the day

-tummy time

-laying flat on her back

This month, we got to have a few more visits with family and we got to go on a few shopping trips all together as a family. Trying to navigate having an infant during a pandemic has not been easy but, I can rest in knowing we are doing our best in balancing it all. 

Here are some pictures from this past month with Delaney!

In case you didn't already read our update about this, Delaney was sent to the ER this past month with a dangerously high fever. After a multitude of testing, we eventually found out it was a urinary tract infection. She was on an antibiotic for 10 days and recovered quickly! 

She is every bit as strong as we prayed she would be.

I almost forgot about this! We went out for our first family brunch as a family of 4! It was wonderful!

This has been such a fun month with Delaney! We know it'll just keep getting better, too!