I won the contest my friend was having at Freckles and Rouge and guess what came in the mail yesterday?

I can tell already he likes it.  ;)

(It took about 20 pictures to get one where you could see all the words...but along the way he made a lot of cute faces!)

Thanks Freckles and Rouge!

(Picture taken before my aunt's funeral)

Every day he looks less and less like a baby and more like a little man.  Sometimes I think I catch glimpses of how he'll look 15 years from now.

The other day we took a family drive and saw the beauty nature has to offer.  My little man is always so enthralled with nature, especially greenery!

My son has decided he really likes the taste of his hands...more specifically a few of his fingers.  I find him chomping on them all the time, and sometimes he even sucks them in his sleep.

On Saturday I had the opportunity to attend a meeting especially for women.  Hubby watched the little man so that I could go, and I'm so grateful!  The words spoken went straight to my heart, gently reminding me that I can always improve and lifting my spirit.

"Sisters, wherever you are, whatever the circumstances may be, you are not forgotten.  No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you.  In fact, He loves you, with an infinite love."  -Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Isn't that a message for all of us?

With all the apples we picked, I've been trying to find creative ways to sneak them into our meals.  We can only make so much apple pie, after all!  I found a recipe online for apple stuffed chicken and tweaked it based one the ingredients I could find in my home.  It turned out A-ma-zing.  So I'm sharing the recipe!

Apple Stuffed Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 cup chopped apples
1 cup cheese (we used Monterey Jack, but I'm sure cheddar would work too)
1 cup crushed corn flakes
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons cinnamon

1- Mix together the apples, cheese, cornflakes, and Italian seasoning.

2- Slice your chicken breasts so that they are thin (but still connected).  I've heard it's called a butterfly cut, for you baking savvy folks.  Put a generous amount of the apple mixture inside the chicken and roll it up, securing it with toothpicks.  You will not use all of the mixture, and that's okay. 

3-Melt the butter in a frying pan and stick the stuffed chicken breasts in the pan.  You want to lightly cook all sides.

4-Mix together the chicken broth, water, and cinnamon in a cooking pan.  I used a glass 8x8 pan.  Place the cooked chicken in the pan and cover with remaining apple mixture. 

5-Cook in the over for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until your chicken seems tender and your cheese is melted.

6-Enjoy!

We've been picking apples from the orchard on the university campus and making apple pie filling!

Hubby is no longer working away from home.  Instead he's in school finishing up his associates degree.  He only has one class every morning and while we are still in the process of looking for jobs, this leaves us a lot of time to be together as a family.  When baby boy is upset, he needs his mama; but when baby boy wants to play, he looks for his daddy.  I love these two boys, and I am loving all the extra time they get to spend together!

Isn't this video cute?  Hubby was trying to play "peek a boo" with little man and we realized that every time he couldn't see his daddy, our baby boy would start to cry.  But as soon as hubby popped back into sight, the tears would turn to smiles.  Too sweet.

Hubby is always looking for new ways to get our little man to feed himself.  Here is the newest:

I think it's time for another Swaddle Me post...

He's such a silly boy!

Yesterday was a long, emotional day for my  baby boy and me.  We went to my aunt's funeral (which was beautiful).  Then that evening my little man got sick.  I held him while he cried and eventually fell asleep.  It is so hard when you can't make it all better!  Here's hoping he feels better today...

My aunt died last week.  She had been battling ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) for eighteen months.  The news wasn’t a shock, though the method it was delivered was unexpected.  That’s technology for you.  Within fifteen minutes of her passing, it was posted on Facebook.  I struggled more with that than with her death.

It may seem like a strange thing to say, that I was more concerned about how I found out than about what I was finding out.  My wonderful aunt had been a widow for twenty four years.  Her children were all grown with children of their own.  She was battling a horrible disease.  Her death was, in essence, a good thing.  It was a blessing for her to no longer be in pain, both emotional and physical. 

My religious convictions include a view of life after death.  In my faith we believe that our families can be together forever when we are sealed in the holy temple.  My aunt was sealed to her husband and her children.  They will all be together again.  With a promise as beautiful as that, and knowing that she left this life to enter the arms of her loving husband, how can I possibly stay sad for long?

I will miss my aunt.  She was an example to me of faith and strength.  The way she was able to raise her children after losing her husband was so inspiring to me.  She was one of those women who made everyone feel special.  Whenever she spoke to me, asking me about school or work or whatever happened to be going on in my life, I felt like she loved me more than anyone else in the world.  I know that she made everyone feel that way.  Her continued faith when she was diagnosed with ALS has been remarkable. 

My family visited my aunt just days before her death.  She told us (it’s a beautiful miracle that she was still able to speak!) that one of her grandchildren had asked her if she was scared to die.  Her response went straight to my heart and strengthened me.  “What is there to be scared of?”  She asked.  “I will get to see Jesus and Heavenly Father and your grandpa.”  What faith.  What an extraordinary testimony.  I will never forget it.  I will never forget her.  And knowing that she will be there to greet me when I leave this world is both a calming promise and a beautiful blessing to look forward to.

I love when I get to watch these two interact :)

The other day hubby coughed and my little man started crying. Hard. When he finally calmed down...hubby had to sneeze. Our baby boy began crying all over again. My parents heard it from the other room and thought we were torturing him. It was kind of funny...poor baby!

Have you ever heard of planking?  I only learned about it recently, but I guess it's a big thing right now.  If I understand correctly, you lay flat like a plank until someone takes your picture and posts it on the internet.  The other day my husband and brother yelled at me to bring the camera and I found this:

My son is so cool.  ;)

Yesterday my little man got to go to the zoo for the first time.  We went with a dear friend of mine and her two boys.  At first, as you can tell, baby boy wasn't sure what to think.

Then he began to enjoy it.

We had so much fun!

I did a photoshoot with my little man the other day.  And then I discovered how to edit the pictures using picnik. 

A picture of when my little man met one of his great-grandmother's last week.  I wish it hadn't turned out so blurry!

Now that my little man is four months old, he is old enough to try some solid foods.  Tonight I gave him some rice cereal mixed with breast milk.  At first he wasn't too sure about it...

but by the end he was angry that I couldn't spoon the food in fast enough. 

I can't believe how fast he is growing up!

My friend is doing a give-away at her blog.  Check it out...and read some of her other posts too; it's good stuff.  :)

I'm pretty sure he's going to be a concert pianist.  ;)

I've come to decide that my little man is a fan of plants.  He loves green and whenever he sees plants, he stares at them with fascination...you can't tear him away!  So we went to the last $2 Tuesday of the year at Thanksgiving Point Gardens to enjoy the beauty and give my little man lots to look at!

My baby boy fell asleep half way through, but I think he enjoyed what he saw.  I know the rest of us certainly did!