Quote

"I think it is more important to celebrate a birthday than a successful exam, a promotion, or a victory. Because to celebrate a birthday means to say to someone: Thank you for being you. Celebrating a birthday is exalting life and being glad for it. On a birthday we do not say: Thanks for what you did, or said, or accomplished. No, we say: Thank you for being born and being among us." 

Henri Nouwen, Here and Now 

first seen here.

Monthly Review: November 2012

This monthly review is short and all about the babe. Nothing much has happened lately with me and the Mr. Plus you can check out our Thanksgiving posts here and here.

I previously mentioned that V's favorite toy was a book with flaps. It's the one thing that succeeds in occupying her time for more than a minute. However, I can to only bring it out when I know I can really watch her. Otherwise she tears the flaps off and chews on them. Just look at this book that Mr. Price's brother and sister-in-law gave her...

I've had to reach into her mouth on several occasions to retreive wads of paper. Pretty scary for this mama.

She definitely keeps me on my toes now that she is walking! Yes, you read that right. Walking at 9 1/2 months. You will pray for me, won't you? Our living room is now her playroom.  Even before she was walking, we purchased what they call a super yard. It's like a circular fence that keeps babies contained to a  certain area. Since our living room is so small, we open it to extend from one wall to another. This gives her the entire living area to play. Our living room won't be featured in any home decor magazine, that's for sure. But we were excited to find this super yard for half price at a second hand baby store!

She did cut two more teeth during the ninth month. That gives her six teeth now. Goodness. People said babies grow up fast! They weren't lying!

In December she will turn 10 months old and celebrate her first Christmas, which means cute PJs. I'm going to go shed a tear now...

Thanksgiving 2012: part two

Wow! I can't believe it has been a week since we celebrated Thanksgiving! Like last year, we were in Virginia for the actual holiday, but this year we had family from Georgia visit. Mr. Price's brother and sister-in-law drove up to the creek on Wednesday. On Thursday, bright and early, they started cooking our Thanksgiving feast.

This year we had a paleo Thanksgiving meal. Our Thanksgiving meal was delicious, but it excluded the bread-based stuffing and sugar-filled sweet potato pie. Here is what we did have:

A free-range organic turkey from Tendergrass farms. The chef butterflied it. This allowed the bird to cook faster and more evenly. It turned out juicy and tender!

Roasted Root Vegetables

Hasselback Potatoes

Sausage Dressing 

Roasted Brussells Sprouts with Bacon

Pumpkin Pie with a Walnut Almond Flour crust

I was sure thankful that Mr. Price's brother loves to cook, because it took us two hours or more just to pack everything we needed to spend few days at the creek. We were wiped out by the time we got there.

We didn't rush to have our Thanksgiving meal by any certain time. I think we ended up eating between 3 pm and 5 pm. Each of us had several helpings of food. How was your Thanksgiving day!? What dishes always make an appearance at your table?

Thanksgiving 2012: part one

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had some delicious food that I hope to post about later. Mr. Price and I tried to take time each day in November to think about the things we are thankful for. Then on Thanksgiving day, we shared them with each other.  After a few days of doing this excercise, it was hard for me to name just one thing each day. The list could go on for days, but here are just a few on our list....

We are thankful for/that...

My husband is a clean freak and loves to make spreadsheets. I love that he manages our budget and checkbook well.

Good Health

Friends like the Krauses who inspire and remind me to trust and follow God.

(this family is moving to Africa)

our cars

a serene place to retreat to...the creek

my spouse

our apartment

even though we are dying to get out of there, we have a place to live

to have such great in-laws

that we live in the United States of America

Panera Bread Women's Bible Study and Community Bible Study

for the sweet moments I share with my daughter right before I lay her down for bed

that my husband is okay with me not being as OCD about cleanliness as he is

that we live so close to many cool outdoor activites

(Blue Ridge Parkway, great hiking trails, and local greenways)

family

that I can stay home with my child and my husband supports this decision

The Word of God (the Bible)

and that it is still relevant truth today.

my loving and caring parents

my daughter goes to bed now with out crying

our Journey church family

Food and clean water

Hot water, especially for my showers

our daughter and her good health thus far

The beautiful colors of the leaves in the fall

Friends

My husband's job

God forgives our sins

the opportunity to be a mother. the hardest but most enjoyable thing I've done with my life

for my sister Susana



The Creek and Thanksgiving Plans

Occasionally when I write about our weekend plans, I mention going out to "the creek." However I don't think I've written a post specifically about the place. If you were to ask Mr. Price, my husband, he would tell you that it is a magical place. The first thing he wants to do with any free time that he has, is to head to the creek. In fact at least three generations of Price men are drawn to this place like moths to flame. Mr. Price's grandfather grew up on several acres of land along Craigs Creek in Virginia. Although his primary residence is now in Georgia, he still has a home on a piece of property overlooking the creek.

For many years the home on the creek was a single-wide trailer. The inside was spruced up a bit with new windows and a large deck on the back overlooking the best view of the creek. But a year and a half ago Mr. Price's grandfather built a cabin just two lots down from his existing home. To be honest, I am a bigger fan of visting the creek now that the cabin is there.

We now use the terms the creek and the cabin interchangeably. They both refer to the same place. The cabin is just a 50-minute drive from our home in the city. I always use the phrase over the mountain and through the woods to describe the drive from our home to the cabin. Because it is just that. You must navigate over a windy road up a mountain and then through the countryside.

Mr. Price's grandfather makes frequent visits to the cabin, and he graciously allows us to stay during our weekends or time off. Mr. Price occasionally does handy work to "keep up" the place.

It is a very peaceful, beautiful and relaxing place to be. It is hard to be overwhelmed with life when sitting on the back porch listening to the ripples on the creek. In the summertime you can find the locals floating down the creek on big inner tubes. The water is crystal clear, perfect for finding just the right stone to skip.

I'm pretty sure Mr. Price moved to Virginia just so he would be close to the creek.

We will be spending Thanksgiving there with Mr. Price's brother and sister-in-law. I can't think of a better place to spend the holidays than a place where time seems to slow down.

Follow me on Instagram to see updated pics of the cabin/creek and our Thanksgiving dinner.

Monthly Review: October 2012

Our daughter turned 8 months in early October. Not much happened this month developmentally, although I think she is very close to cutting two more teeth. This girl is going to have at least six teeth by the time she is one year old. And she may be walking. She is gaining more balance on her two feet, but I think she knows she can get around faster by crawling. We like to call it turbo mode when she takes off crawling real fast! She takes one step and then squats down to start crawling. She's getting better at walking when she is holding onto the sofa or some other object.

Valrie's speech (babbling) has always come in spurts. She'll babble and coo for a week and then two-three weeks will go by and she won't have much to say. She started making the "b" sound first. And now will occasionally say "bye-bye" after we say it about a million times as Mr. Price leaves for work. 

She loves Veggie Tales! And I just introduced her to Blues Clues. I think she has a crush on Steve. 

One of her favorite things to play with now are books with flaps! Her uncle and aunt gave her a flap book. She loves lifting and often tearing off the flaps. It really keeps her entertained.

This month she also got her first illness. One night she slept longer than normal, (yes, we still have night sleeping issues) and when she finally cried out at 3 am, she was very hot to the touch. At 6:30 am I took her temp and it was 102.6. She wasn't fussy or cyring, and seemed to be okay. The fever subsided by the late afternoon. But four days later she was showing signs of her first cold. And another four days later we are still trying to get it to wear off.

We took our first long distance trip to Georgia in the beginning of the month. We are always so busy when we go down that it doesn't feel like much of a vacation. But we love being home and spending time with family. And now it is even more special to see what joy our daugther brings to others. Sorry to those people we did not get see while we were down!

When we got back to Virginia, we were greeted by the vibrant leaf colors in shades of organge, red and yellow. It is such a nice perk to live in this part of the country during early fall!

We also took our first trip to a corn maze and pumpkin patch this year. Every month our church plans a family event. We met at Layman Family Farms. Imagaine a huge open space of land with beautiful mountain scenery. There was a small animal farm with pigs, goats and sheep, a pumpkin rocket launcher, hayrides, cow rides, and a corn maze.

This year we strolled V around to see different things. I even managed to take her down an underground slide. That's us in the picture below. I had to lay down so I wouldn't hit my head, but didn't manage to get back up when the coast was clear for Mr. Price to get a good picture.

V was a monkey for Halloween. We didn't go trick-or-treating. Just dressed her up in a costume and tried to get a decent photo.

 During the last week of October I decided to start a new family tradition.  We are writing down one thing we are thankful for each day and placing it in this bowl. On Thanksgiving Day we will take out each paper and read them aloud. It has taken some self control for me not take a sneak peek.

I can't believe it is already November! We have a busy busy month. Mr. Price more so than me. So keep us in your prayers!

a few cool links

:: Christmas will soon be here. Enjoying this series by Frugal Mom about keeping Christmas merry!

:: Pin this for next year: The BEST children's Halloween costumes.

:: With the more than 500 pictures I have of just my daughter, I could totally relate to this article. Especially when it said, " We [moms] don't always have time to blow dry our hair, apply make-up, perhaps even bathe (ducking). The kids are so much cuter than we are; better to just take their pictures, we think."

:: Make your own memory game.

two in one: august and september monthly reviews

august review

so i'll just jump right in and start this update with what most people want to hear about first - our baby! although i don't feel like she is much of a baby anymore. in august she turned six months old. and since month five was such a big month for her developmentally-two teeth, crawling, pulling to stand-the only really interesting thing month six brought was the introduction of solid food.

currently i am making all of her food, and so far she has had chicken broth, carrots, cauliflower, chicken, avocado, banana, apples and pears. of course it is quite messy and makes diaper changing pretty interesting.

by the end of month six, she was making progress in sitting up completely by herself.

over the summer i tried do a lot of shopping at the farmers' market. i love buying our produce, meats and eggs there, but it can get expensive. so i need to do better about prioritizing what we really need to buy there. i racked up a bill during the shopping trip i posted below, where i purchased eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, basil, green beans, garlic, bacon and grass-fed beef.

september review

in september V turned seven months old, and in the middle of the month, she started cutting her two top teeth. so far her teeth are coming in in pairs. i discovered that she really does like to watch veggie tales and will indiscriminately laugh at the tv. she has also started babbling just a bit more. sometimes it sounds like she is saying the word "bye."

we spent labor day at the creek. i convinced mr. price to take an extra day off of work so he could scratch some things off his to-do list. one being to restore my car's headlights. look at the superb job he did!

it was a rainy weekend, and the rain sounded wonderful on the tin roof.

v had a visit from her great aunt ana beatriz who traveled all the way from colombia, south america. and since it is apple season in these parts, we took a trip out to ikenberry orchards to grab some apples and see some pumpkins.

i traveled to lynchburg one day for the kidz kraze consignment sale, and spent about $50 on some second hand clothing.

this month i started participating in two bible studies. i signed up for a saturday bible study at panera bread, thinking that i was not going to be able to participate in the community bible study (cbs) that meets on tuesday mornings. but at the last minute, a spot in the cbs nursery opened up allowing us to attend.

we are traveling to georgia the last day of the month. mr. price hasn't been home in one year! i can't believe its been that long. we will be spending about eight days there, and this will be our daughter's second long-distance trip.  on previous trips down south, mr. price and i usually had our car packed (the trunk and back seat) when it was just the two of us. now that we have a baby i am determined to pack as lightly as possible. if our belongings don't fit into the trunk of the car, it's not coming...not sure i can do it. can't wait to update you about our trip on the october monthly review.

tres anos

We're celebrating three years of marriage this week! 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY LOVING HUSBAND

there's no one I'd rather do life with than you

How I long to be this woman...

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

(from Proverbs 31, emphasis mine)

I LOVE

Everyday Food videos with Sarah Carey.



Mr. Price and I have been receiving a gift subscription to Everyday Food. Most issues contain a grocery shopping list for five days of recipes. Normally I don't utitilize this feature, but in the current issue, all five recipes were easy and appealing. What a score! It allowed me to procrastinate just a bit more with my regular menu planning.

Sarah Carey is editor of Everday Food (EDF) and she features daily cooking videos on marthastewart.com. One day I decided to watch one of the videos. But once I watched one, I couldn't stop. Sarah's upbeat personality combined with great video editing makes these recipe tutorials very entertaining. They definitely make me itchin' to get in the kitchen. I wonder if I could make whipping up baby food look so fun and desirable!?

Check out the videos here. But be warned you may get hooked!

Where did July go? a monthly review

The month of July blew in with a powerful windstorm causing most of Virginia to be without power for the first full week. In record breaking temperatures, no less. Here's just a little of what Mr. Price and I had to throw away.

The power at the Price Cabin came on before our apartment, so we spent a few days out there.

Here are just a few things we always do when we are out at the cabin.

We always fire up the grill. Since it was the 4th of July, we decided on grilling hamburgers.

Mr. Price usually takes a ride on his dirt bike. This time he had a nice surprise waiting on him. A bird decided his bike would be a great location for a nest!  

We always enjoy the scenery. I especially enjoy the early mornings when you can watch the fog rise.



And finally, Matt likes to collect rocks to skip in the creek.

July has been a hot, hot month, and there have been several afternoon thunderstorm showers.

To beat the heat, I tried freezing fruit in my ice cubes. It gives my ice cold water a little kick.

Food trucks are definitely trending these days. So on one of the hottest days of the summer, I decided to experience the Noke Truck (Noke being short for Roanoke). Tacos and crepes are the specialty. I had a shredded chicken soft taco and it was fairly good. 

This month our babe turned five months old, and it has truly been a big month for her developmentally. She cut two teeth, started crawling and has now started pulling up on furniture and the railing of her crib! Needless to say, naps are a challenge. I finally had my first mommy outing with another new mom. We had yogurt at Sweet Frog and then took our babies on a stroll on one of the local greenways. It was so nice to get out and have a conversation with someone who could relate to the struggles and joys of motherhood!



Thanks for stopping by! I wish I could update the blog more often, but it looks like a monthly review is all I am able to accomplish these days. Please check back next month!