Freezer Meals!

So this is my first try at making freezer Crock Pot meals and I am pretty excited about it! I found a few recipes on Pinterest that sounded delicious and EASY!! That was pretty important for me...the easy part. I don't get much time to be in the kitchen prepping food when I have a toddler running around so I needed something I could quickly put together and also something that would be easy when it was time to cook. So here we are with two freezer meals that I prepped today while Brayden was napping. (P.S. you will need gallon freezer bags!)

Teriyaki Chicken (2 bags)
-1 large bag of baby carrots split between the two bags
-1 red onion cut into large chunks and split between two bags
-2, 20 oz. cans of chunk pineapple, one can in each bag (undrained)
-4 garlic cloves, chopped (2 cloves in each bag)
-4 chicken breasts (2 in each bag)
-1 cup teriyaki sauce (1/2 cup in each bag)
*When ready to cook, place bag in refrigerator the night before and then add 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce to the bag and place in Crock Pot. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Serve over rice.

I made sure to write the name of the food and the directions on the bag before filling and placing it in the freezer! Now even the hubby could make this!

Healthy BBQ Chicken (2 bags)

-2 green peppers, sliced and split between the two bags

-1 red pepper, sliced and split between the two bags

-1 zucchini, chopped and split between the two bags

-3 yellow onions, chopped and split between the two bags

-6 red potatoes, chopped and split between the two bags

-4 garlic cloves, chopped and split between the two bags (do we see a pattern here?!?!)

-4 chicken breasts, 2 in each bag

-1/2 TBSP Quick Cooking Tapioca in each bag

-1, 15 oz. can tomato sauce split between the two bags

-1 TBSP brown sugar in each bag

-1 TBSP Worcestershire in each bag

-1 TBSP mustard in each bag

-1/4 tsp salt in each bag

*Cooking: high for 4 hours, low for 8 hours. Serve over rice or egg noodles. (Again, place bag in the refrigerator the night before to thaw it out a bit and so you aren't trying to get a frozen solid square into an oval Crock Pot!!)

I am so excited about these two simple meals and I can't wait to try more freezer Crock Pot meals! P.S. I am in no way credited with these recipes. I found these on Pinterest and you can go to the link by clicking here! There are also three more freezer Crock Pot meals on her blog post which I plan on trying very soon! Also, if you have any links or Crock Pot cooking suggestions, please leave them in a comment below! I love trying new recipes!

9 Month Stats

I am a couple of days late but lets be real here...when am I ever on time?!?! I think the correct answer is never. Anyways, Brayden turned 9 months old on the 11th and I can't believe it has already been 9 months. I know I say that about each month but seriously people, how does the time go by so dang fast?!
Brayden has changed so much in the past few months. He is such a quick mover so I can't ever have my eyes off of him! He gets to anything he wants within just a few seconds. In just the past two days he has actually stood up without assistance! He has been standing for quite a few weeks but he always had to pull himself up on something...apparently that is a thing of the past. He even blew our socks off the other day by taking a couple of quick steps to get to the edge of the couch! I am SOOOO not ready for him to start walking yet! I really think his grandma might start pushing him down...just kidding!

So besides the crazy new things he is doing, here are some of his current favorite things:
Elmo(still)
Super Puffs( similar to Cheerios)
Fruits and veggies
Sesame Street
Banging things together
Clapping his hands
Tickling fights
Spitting
Playing with his tongue
Bath time

I am sure there are many more things but that's all I can think of right now. Brayden has also been so great at going to sleep on his own. When I see that he is getting sleepy, I hold him for just a couple of minutes for him to relax and then I put him right into his crib. He usually sits right up when I do this but I just turn on his sleepy music and leave the room. It only takes him about 10 minutes, at the most, and he is asleep. This is WONDERFUL!!! I absolutely love that he goes to sleep on his own. Now if he could just self-soothe during the night then I would be golden! Don't get be wrong, most nights Brayden sleeps right through and we don't have any wake-up-calls. However, some nights Brayden will wake up and so of course I have to go in there and get his binky and hold him for a few minutes for him to go back to sleep. I know that we are so lucky that he is such a great sleeper but I think it makes those nights when he does wake up even harder because I am not used to it anymore. Oh well, when he wakes up in the morning with a smile on his face and the only reason he wakes me up is because he is giggling and playing, I can't even complain!!
Brayden has so much personality and it is getting bigger every day!! I absolutely love being a mom and it is so fun to see Brayden experience new things. I love to see his brain working trying to figure something out. I know we will probably have even more changes in the next month (hopefully walking is not one of those changes) and I can't wait to see what his new favorite things are in a month from now!
Here are a few favorite pictures from the past month!

Elmo makes him happy!

4 generations!

Haha!!! He tried lemon.

@Claim Jumper for Tip-A-Cop!

He loves bath time!

And blueberries!

Grandpa and a blanket...that's all he needs!

Let the chasing being!

Silly sleeper!

Finally, a place to organize his books and toys!

Brayden's First Easter!

Easter is easily one of my favorite holidays and that is mostly because I get to see my WHOLE family (on my mom's side anyways)! It's a pretty big deal in our family and I was so excited to have Brayden experience it for the first time. In the early morning when Brayden woke up, he/we opened his Easter basket/bucket. He mostly played with the bucket but I didn't mind...it was so fun! After all the excitement of his Easter bucket, Brayden ate and took a nap and so I got ready for our family party. When Brayden woke up from his nap, we headed to my parent's house to carpool to my Aunt's house. To my surprise, my mom still got me an Easter basket! I was like a little kid again!! Then it was time to head to Aunt Cyd's house.
Our family festivities begin around lunch time with tons of food and drinks! Then we hunt for Easter eggs and then its back to the food and drinks...can you tell we like to eat and drink?!
Brayden got to spend some time with his new cousins Elsie (3 months) and Addy (9 months). It was so fun to have so many babies around!! I got to spend time with my cousins too and that always puts a smile on my face! My family is so amazing and I am so blessed to be so close with even my second and third cousins. People say our family is weird because I actually hang out with my second cousins and my great aunts more than once a year but I think it's pretty spectacular! I absolutely LOVE being around my huge family and I know that Brayden will appreciate it one day as well.
Speaking of this huge family of ours, I was a little nervous for Brayden to be around so many people that he doesn't see on a regular basis. I was afraid that he would be overwhelmed but he was wonderful! I don't know why I even worried! He gladly went to most family members, stayed on his eating schedule, and even took a short nap! The day was a complete success and I know that next year will be even more amazing because those three babies (Elsie, Addy and Brayden) will all be walking and super pumped!
Here is what our day looked like:

Easter Bunny Brayden!

Pirate Easter bucket!

Cousin Addy

Playing with his egg!

Cooling off in the pool with Grandpa!

Concentrating on the swing!

Grandparents...is there anything better?!?

P.S. My sister was in town this weekend so that made everything a million times better!!! I don't get to see her nearly as much as I am used to and this was a much overdue visit!! Can't wait to see her again :)

6 Month Stats

Yes, I am aware that I am a little behind on this post but Brayden went on his first vacation that included road-tripping to San Francisco! More on that later. As for now, you all need an update on my little man! A few weeks ago, Brayden got his first cold and let me tell you, a baby with a cold isn't fun but he is such a trooper! He was full of snot and sleepy for a few days but he was still his happy self. Thankfully that cold is gone and he is back to normal! We went to the doctor on the 12th for Brayden's 6 month wellness check and the boy is growing like a weed! He weighs a whopping 17 pounds 10.5 ounces!! He is HEAVY!! His length didn't change much, he is at 26.5, but the doctor said that always depends on who is measuring and how far they stretch his legs...not to worry! We know he is getting longer because his feet now touch on his Jonny Jump Up and his bouncer.
As for changes in behavior, Brayden is still super happy and he has become quite the ham. He smiles at everyone and absolutely LOVES when people make silly faces at him or play peek-a-boo! He is eating a lot of real food now including peas (although we have to mix it with bananas or something) pears, peaches, and mixed veggies. He only eats about 3 bottles a day and those happen right when he wakes up, before his afternoon nap, and right before bedtime. Between those bottles he just eats regular food. Brayden has definitely developed his voice and is constantly making some sort of noise. While in San Francisco, he was so loud in a restaurant that I actually had to cover his mouth!! He wasn't crying or anything but instead of just talking, he really enjoys screaming!! It is pretty funny when we are at home but a little embarrassing in front of a bunch of strangers! Brayden is ALMOST sitting up on his own...he can sit on his own but he can't get there on his own. He did it once yesterday but hasn't done it since...it's coming though!! He also isn't crawling yet but that is super close as well. And although he isn't crawling, that doesn't stop him from getting where he wants to go. He moves so fast and of course he always goes where I don't want him to go...like near the corner of a wall or large piece of furniture! Oh well...I guess I should just wait until he starts crawling....then I will always have to keep a close eye on him!
So there is the update for Brayden at 6 months old...I cannot believe he is half a year old!! YIKES!! I need to start planning his birthday party if the next 6 months are going to fly by just as quickly as the last 6 months! And let me just say, I am the happiest person ever! I absolutely LOVE being a mom and Brayden is just so perfect! Of course there are days when I just want to rip my hair out because the house is a mess and Brayden is hungry but I don't have any clean bottles so I have to hold him while cleaning one just so he won't cry (yes, this happens!!) but overall....I wouldn't trade this for the world! And his little smiling face always makes everything better!

How can you not smile at that face??

His favorite bib!!

On a walk...his hat finally fits!

Sexy pose!!!

Smirking

Happy traveler!

Out for a walk in San Francisco!

Bundled up for the cold weather

His first time in the shopping cart!

Always smiling!

Adventures in Teething and Peas!

Do you hear the *womp, womp, womp* after that title?!?! To tell the truth, teething really hasn't been bad so far. Brayden has two teeth popping through his gums right now...the bottom two. He has been drooling like a Saint Bernard and putting everything within arms reach in his mouth! The only time he was grumpy and seemed to be in actual pain was right before the two teeth came through his gums. Other than that, this little boy of mine didn't even notice that he was getting teeth! How lucky are we?! I just hope that teething continues to be this smooth when his other teeth start coming through.
On another note, Brayden is branching out into other foods now. He absolutely LOVES bananas and he seems to tolerate peas. He gave a pretty interesting face the first time he tried peas and gives that same face every time I give him peas but he still eats them. He has become a pro at actually opening his mouth and allowing the whole spoon to get in his mouth before closing it to eat up the peas/bananas/rice cereal/oatmeal!  So basically, not to brag or anything, I have the most amazing son ever. He is such a happy baby even though he has been teething and has a cold! He constantly smiles and his laugh is most definitely the greatest thing I have ever heard! And to put a little smile on your face, here are some recent videos of my little man!!
Here is the video of Brayden trying peas for the first time. Down below is another video of the same feeding of peas...and let's just say he changed his mind about the peas!