Deck the Halls (and Refrigerators)--With Cards from Shutterfly

I know this isn’t like my usual blog posts, but in case you haven’t heard, Shutterfly is offering Bloggers (of any size, following, genre, etc.) 50--yes, you read that correctly: 50--free Christmas Cards! When another blogger I follow posted about this offer I was thrilled and immediately thought, “So, what’s the catch?” Well, after looking into it I discovered that there really isn’t a catch. You do have to write a blog post (a.k.a. this one, ha ha), but hey, 50 FREE cards are definitely worth it!

Because I’ve been so excited about this for the past week I’ve been going through Shutterfly’s Christmas card selection trying to narrow down the ones I like so that making the ‘big decision’ wouldn’t be quite as difficult. I was very happy to see that they have a big selection of cards that actually say “Merry Christmas” instead of the politically correct “Happy Holidays”, and focused on choosing a card from out of those particular cards. Here are pictures of our favorites:

I like this one because it is simple, multiple photo, says "Merry Christmas" AND "O Holy Night", and it has stars on it. I have an obsession with stars. Does that make me shallow?

This one I like because it is simple, elegant, brown, and covers both Christmas AND New Year's. :-)

This one is a bit more 'involved' than the previous two, still elegant, multiple photo, and I agree with what it says (that Christmas IS the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year"). Why? Because Mankind was given the Most Wonderful Gift we have ever been given--in the form of our Savior, Jesus Christ, which is what Christmas is truly all about.

This one is my husband's and my favorite currently. It is simply lovely and really conveys our true desire for our friends and loved one's--that Christ would be at the center of all they do this Christmas season. I love the fact that we can put more than one picture on this particular card as well!

Thank you Shutterfly for the opportunity to take part in your free card promotion! My family and I are truly grateful! Merry Christmas!

For anyone wondering how to get involved and take part in Shutterfly's Free Christmas Cards, go here for details. You have until December 31st, 2010, so head on over there and check it out! :-)

Titan & Penny

Just a quick update on two of my 'fur-babies' . . . . My friend Jess, was kind enough to send me a few updated pictures of them recently that I wanted to share with everyone. = )

Typical Penny!! = )

Penny should be crossing the Pacific Ocean sometime soon. I have yet to coordinate the details with my amazing friends who are caring for her, but after the ball starts rolling it shouldn't be too long after that! In the meantime though, she is loving life on my friend, Jess's bed. = ) And has also been making friends with my friend, Siobhan's cat (Sadie), and Jess and Siobhan's new dog (but longtime pal), Reagan.

Titan has been doing really well with his training and is progressing quickly! My lovely friend, Courtney, said a couple of weeks ago that she was probably going to be introducing a bridle to him in the very near future (which is probably now the past, I don't know for sure since I haven't gotten a chance to talk to her again yet) and that he would possibly be ready to be broken soon. Woo-hoo! My baby is growing up and getting a job! = ) I just wish I could be there to participate in his training (or to at least be able to see him as he progresses! Oh well, c'est la vie!)

Titan in the round pen with Courtney.

Following.

Aaaaahhhh!! I miss fall!! Look at the beautiful trees in the background!

Round-penning in progress.

Handsome boy. Awesome friend. Ha ha! = )

I miss them!

For those of you who don't know, Titan is a Percheron/Thoroughbred Cross. I am a big fan of that particular cross--and not just because that is what the colts that we were training (or learning to train in my case!) back at school were--but because generally with that Cross you will get the athleticism of the Thoroughbred with the level-headedness of the big draft horse, which is pretty awesome if you ask me. = ) Anyhow, I'm so glad that we found Titan back in March of 2009. And I'm also glad that I have been blessed with amazing friends who are willing to take care of (and train!) my boy for me while I am gone. There was a period of time where I wasn't so sure I would be able to keep him, and I have been so thankful that everything worked out so perfectly in the end! Thanks be to God!!! 

So, there you have it, the update on Penny and Titan! = )

Why Is There No Cake?!

 Well, I'll tell you why. =) There are really two reasons for the lack of cake. Firstly, when we moved, we got behind on introducing new foods, and I know you are probably thinking "Well, you've had plenty of time since then to get caught up." And you are correct. However, we have been taking our time (we're not in a huge rush), and going slow. That being said, we are still behind and Peanut Butter Cup hasn't really been introduced to any grains yet--I know, shocking right? We will be trying oatmeal out (I'd say again, but he really only got a taste of it the first time because he was too tired to be interested in eating on our first try) in the near future, and will move from there to other grains.

More and more parents are becoming aware of the potential risks of introducing foods too early or too quickly. Doing so with certain foods may cause a baby to develop an allergy to that particular food, which is what we've been trying to prevent--especially since a food allergy sticks with you for the rest of your life! Even though Peanut Butter Cup may be out of (most of) the "too early" category, we don't see a need to risk it and possibly overwhelm his body with a ton of new stuff all at once. Are we being over-protective? Maybe, but I'd rather err on the side of over-protection than wish we'd done things differently later.

The other really big reason why there wouldn't be a cake even if he'd already been introduced to grains is sugar. A.K.A. cake frosting. We don't see the need to introduce sweets/junk food to our baby at this point in time. In the interest of trying to develop healthy eating habits (and yes, this is something I've researched and read about, so no worries that I've developed this theory on my own =) we will be holding off on giving Peanut Butter Cup sugar until he is older. Would allowing him to have frosting one time really make him a sugar 'addict' (ha ha)? No, probably not, but I still don't feel the need to give it too him this time around. It's not like he's going to know any different anyhow, so we will wait until next year for him to have a birthday cake.

He may or may not develop healthy eating habits that carry on throughout his life, but I'd rather try to instill them right from the start than just give him whatever and hope for the best.

So, there you have it, the reasons why there was no cake for Peanut Butter Cup this year.

Then and Now

Just a few minutes old.

A few hours old.

Yesterday. 

He adores my lens-cap, can you tell? =)

One year old.

The Birthday Boy playing with his new xylophone.

Thanks MiMi, PawPaw, and Uncle Carl!

Happy Birthday Peanut Butter Cup!

My Dearest Peanut Butter Cup,

Today is your first birthday! How has the time passed by so quickly? It seems like just yesterday that I was waiting anxiously to see you for the second time (for longer than a few seconds this time!), and hold you for the first time. The minutes seemed to crawl by as I waited in our hospital room for you and Daddy to come back to me after the nurses said I was ready. When Daddy and the nurses finally brought you in, it was so surreal getting to really meet you and hold you for the first time.

I don’t think one can ever truly understand the depth of a mother’s love until they experience it firsthand for themselves. Hearing you cry for the first time overwhelmed me with emotions I didn’t even know existed! From the first time I saw you I was completely head over heels in love with you! You were perfect in every way and oh so precious!

You were the cutest baby I’d ever seen and made me wonder how I could ever love another baby as much as I love you (which is something I still wonder, though I imagine it will be a lot like it was with you).

You have always been in such a hurry to grow up! When you were two days old I was holding you and you pushed up into a standing position with your legs, and almost from the start you could hold your head up for short periods of time. I remember thinking, “Gosh, I don’t know much about babies yet, but I don’t think you are supposed to be doing that already!”

Over the past year you have brought us so much joy (and exhaustion as you still haven’t learned to sleep through the night, ha ha)! We’ve laughed, smiled, cried, and been confused quite a bit over the last year (though not so much of the crying . . . at least not on Mommy and Daddy’s part!). The past twelve months have been filled with all of us learning, changing, and growing--both individually as well as together.

Though we can scarcely believe that a year has already passed since you were that helpless little baby swaddled in the hospital blanket, so much has changed since then that it is sometimes hard to believe that it has only been one year.

We love you Sweetie--oh so very much! May God’s blessings fill this coming year!

Love always--now and forever,
Mommy