9 months

Ethan was nine months old on Christmas Eve! I remember last Christmas thinking we would have a nine month old the next Christmas, and thinking how far away that seemed. Now it has come and gone in the blink of an eye. The last nine months have been such an amazing experience, and I am so thankful that God blessed us with such a precious little boy.

At his nine month checkup, Ethan weighed 22lbs (75th percentile), and I don't remember exactly how long he was, but he was off the charts! (100th percentile) Unless his growth slows down rapidly, he is going to be a BIG boy!

Ok so I thought this was hilarious =)

Alternative Discipline Techniques
Courtesy of MckLinky Stuff - FREE!

Tough Love vs. Spanking





Most people nowadays think it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of 'those moments'.





One that I have found very effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride during which I say nothing and give the child the opportunity to reflect on his or her behavior.





I don't know whether it's the steady vibration from the car, or just the time away from any distractions such as TV, Video Games, Computer, IPod, etc.





Either way, my kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together. I believe that eye to eye contact during these sessions is an important element in achieving the desired results.





I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique. Scroll down below to see it....

Courtesy of MckLinky Stuff - FREE!

Ethan is crawling!

Now that Ethan is 8 months old, he is finally crawling! He is still pretty lazy about it, and doesn't crawl unless he REALLY wants something. I'm sure he will get curious soon and be everywhere... =)

I've started a website for my embroidery!

Snips, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails!

Embroidery Machine

So I finally got an embroidery machine! I've been wanting one for a long time! It is amazing what it can do! It was a little frustrating at first trying to figure it all out and I ruined a onesie or two trying to figure out which stabilizer to use and such...but...I think I've got it down =) Here are a few pics of what I have done so far =)

Scott wanted me to do a state shirt for Ethan =)

Practicing on Onesies and hand towels

Dino

Applique on a towel

Taco Soup Recipe

I thought I would share my taco soup recipe! It is SUPER easy to make and SO good!

Taco Soup:

1 lb ground beef--browned
1 can corn
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
2 cans ro-tel (1 can spicy if you want a spicy soup)
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 package taco seasoning
2 cups water (you can add more or less depending on how soupy you want it)

Add all the ingredients in a large pot. When you add the cans of beans and corn, don't drain them, pour the juice in too. (I usually do drain the kidney beans b/c my husband doesn't like the taste of kidney beans :)
Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for at least 20 min.

We put sour cream, grated cheese, and tortilla chips on top!

Halloween

Ethan went to his first costume Halloween party on Friday night. It was pretty funny to see all the babies dressed up. Ethan had fun, we think =)

Duds for Doodlebugs

Ok so I have to brag about the consignment sale, "Duds for Doodlebugs," that I went to last night. I really did not know what to expect, but my friend Christina told me it was worth driving to Hattiesburg to go. I'm normally not into used stuff or garage sales b/c I don't really like to dig through junk to find a few good things, but this sale was AMAZING...everything was in excellent condition. I am SO glad I went! I spent $99 and got Ethan a ton of stuff all in perfect condition! I got.... 9 pairs of pants, 4 pairs of pajamas, 6 shirts/onesies, 4 fleeces/hoodies, 1 pair corduroy overalls, a one piece GAP sweatsuit, 3 pair of shoes, a nice thick coat, 4 infant toys, and a bath seat!

New Recipe

So Scott and I decided to try and find a chicken Parmesan recipe, and we found this one. It is FABULOUS, and so easy to make. =) I thought I would share!

Ingredients:

* 4 boneless chicken breasts
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup milk
* seasoned bread crumbs
* 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 8 slices mozzarella cheese, or more (I used grated Mozzarella cheese)
* 1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce
* Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
Whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken breasts in milk and egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in the hot oil on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set chicken in a baking dish.

Slice 8 pieces of mozzarella cheese and put two on each chicken breast. Pour 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little more mozzarella and bake at 350° for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve over spaghetti, with garlic bread and a nice green salad.

Ok so I thought this was funny!

6 Months

Ethan is 6 months old! Seriously, where did the time go? He weighed in at 19 lb 11 oz, and 28 inches long! Both are in the 85th percentile. He is still a big boy!

New York

Scott and I just got back from a 5 day trip to New York City. Scott had never been, and we decided to go while we still just had one child and it would be easier to go. We had a BLAST! We were there on my birthday which was really fun. We tried to do all the tourist stuff, and got to do most of the stuff we wanted to do. =)

At the Yankees/Red Sox game

Central Park

New York Stock Exchange

Central Park

In F.A.O. Chewy was made completely of Legos!

The Apple Store on 5th Ave.

Times Square at night

From the top of the Empire State Building

We went to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. It was AMAZING!

Laughing

New Hobby

Ok So I have a new hobby: Painting picture frames!! I am selling them for $10. I can paint many different colors, and do the frames with/without the bow. I also can do a darker stain, like the ones that are striped, or a lighter stain, like the polka dot ones.

Email me if you would like one!

khmercer8@yahoo.com

Pray for Kathryn and Brian and their family

I am just going to ask that whoever reads my blog pray for a family that is in desperate need of prayer right now. I got to know Kathryn at Pine Cove, where she worked as a counselor when my dad was a director there. Kathryn and her husband Brian just lost their little boy, Samuel, at 4 weeks old. He was born with heart troubles and the Doctors never could figure out what to do about little Samuel's condition. They have two other children, Caleb and Joel.

These situations are so hard, and my heart is breaking for this family. I cannot imagine what they are going through. Their faith in the Lord during this hard time is a wonderful testimony and encouragement to me and many others.

Their blog is: http://apinisfamily.blogspot.com/
If you have the time and patience I would encourage you to read some of their posts.

Ethan tries Juice

Cereal

Little Man is growing up!

We went to see Dr. Flowers today for Ethan's 4 month check up. He is a whopping 16 lb 11 oz. and 26 in long, both of which are in the 80th percentile. He is a big boy! The Dr. said we can go ahead and start rice cereal, which should be interesting.

We are in Destin! It is beautiful and we are having a blast. Ethan has been pretty good, he took a nap on the beach this morning. We tried the water but I think it was a little too cold for him. We will probably try the pool later.

Harrison is Home

Scott, Ethan, my mom and I went to go pick up Harrison from the airport in Atlanta yesterday. He has not been home from Italy since June 2008! We were all so glad he gets to come home for two weeks.

Playing guitar Hero with Harrison

Maddie wasn't quite sure about Harrison

Kisses

Molly loves Ethan!

Anniversary

Scott and I celebrated our one year anniversary on June 7. It has been an amazing year, very eventful, but wonderful. We are so blessed to have welcomed little Ethan into our lives even though we had not planned on having a baby within 10 months of our wedding day! God's plan turned out to be so much better than we could have imagined. We love being parents!

Scott and I left Ethan with his grandma,(my mom) and went to Memphis for a day to celebrate our anniversary. Later this month we are going to stay at the Alluvian for a night and leave little man with my mom(ah!)

We went to the Zoo and had so much fun. We are both still kids at heart and love going to look at the animals. I can't wait until Ethan gets old enough for us to take him.

Scott and his Bird

Me feeding the birds

The 800 lb Sea Lion standing on its flippers!

Me and my Polar Bear

Meerkats, Scott's favorite

Polar Bear, my favorite