If there's one thing I've learned in this life as a mommy...it's when you're little boy asks you to "nuggle"...you nuggle.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Two and a half

 So this is my two and a half year old post.  

I know I've missed a few months, but we'll just pretend that I haven't ;)

(getting his 2 1/2 year old measurements)

Wow...in a matter of a day, I feel as though Addison grew to be a year older.  He woke up yesterday morning (his 2 1/2 birthday) and immediately just seemed older!  His imagination is in full force, an incredible thing to watch.   

While on the way to the grocery store, he was sitting in his car seat having a pretty indepth conversation with his cars, pretending all sorts of things were happening.  He loves his cars, trains, puzzles, baby buzz lightyear, baby bullseye, baby ham, and alien (we're really into Toy Story right now).  And don't forget about his puppies.  They're his very best friends, and his love is very strong :)

We've also just started that delightful stage of repeating, questions, and funny sayings. How do kids do it?! They can say the same thing a million times over without stopping. Or ask the same question ten times even though you've given them the answer nine times. That part of this stage makes me want to pull my hair out at times, but it's worth it with all of the sweet things that go along with it.  Like when A grabs onto me tight and says "oh I just love you", or when he talks to Bodhi in the same low voice that Russ and I do.  The other day we were in the car pretty early and saw the sunrise.  I commented on how I thought the sunrise was pretty.  A's response..."The sunrise is pretty like Adele is pretty" (One of his "girlfriends") Really?!  How does he know to make that association, and why is he so smooth?!  Must get it from his Daddy :)

Lately he's been making us laugh with his understanding of what certain words mean. The other day we were at a friends' house and her little 10 month old fell when she was reaching for some snacks. A asked why she was crying, so I said "oh, she just lost her balance". A responded with "is that her balance?" pointing to the snacks. When she had stopped crying he asked "Did Nico find her balance?" That happened a few weeks ago, and I'm still laughing about it. And then just the other day, A was looking through our neighbor Carey's pictures on her phone. He pointed to one picture asking what it was, to which she replied "That's Miami!" A's response..."That's your Ami?".  Love this kid!

I am pleased to announce that A is potty trained!!  In my head I wanted him to be potty trained at 2 1/2, but never actually thought it would happen for a couple reasons.  First, when he was in diapers, the kid couldn't care less if his diaper was fully loaded, and falling off of him.  Second, he's a boy, and everyone says they are so much harder to potty train.  So how did I do it?  I didn't, he did.  All of the sudden he started showing interest in wanting to go pee in the potty.  So we jumped on board.  At first what really seemed to work was encouraging him that big boys go in the potty.  He was really big on wanting to be a big boy and do everything for himself, so that worked for awhile.  When that started to loose it's charm, we moved to stickers.  He got a sticker every time he went in the potty.  Our final method?  Tattoos...the temporary kind.  If you don't know already, my hubby is pretty covered with tattoos, and since A wanted to be just like daddy, we figured we could use tattos as an incentive for potty training!  He would still get a sticker for every time he went pee or poop. But if he went a full day without having any accidents, he would get a tattoo at the end of the day.  And every time he got a new tattoo he was so proud to have a new tattoo just like daddy :)  This method may not work for everyone, but it certainly seems to have worked for us!  He is now completetly day trained!  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done, and there were days when I wanted to bang my head against the wall, but it was all worth it to not have to change poopy diapers any more!

I cannot believe that we are on our way to 3!  I know there are many more stories to be told, things to learn and fun things to do, and I cannot wait for it all!  We love you so much Addison Nolan Hickman!  Happy half birthday sweet boy!

Bodhi

I have to be honest...when Addison was born, I was pretty nervous about bringing him home and introducing him to our boxer.  As some of you may know, boxers are very high energy.  They jump up, get in your face, and can be rough without really meaning to be.  I was so nervous that when we got home with our newborn, Bodhi would try to jump on him, sniff him to death, sit on him...I played a million scenarios over in my head.  Our dogs are our babies too, and the thought of having to give our adorable loving boxer away because he was to rough, made me sad. 

But to our very pleasant surprise, Bodhi has been quite the opposite of my fears.  He has been as gentle as ever with Addison from day one.  And not only has he been so gentle, but he has put up with just about everything that Addison has done to him.

 Addison can stick his hands in Bodhi's mouth and eyes.  Tackle him, grab him, jump on him, sit on him, squish him.

  He can really do just about anything to this dog without so much as bark.  I've seen Addison take food out of Bodhi's bowl while he's eating.  I've seen Addison grab bones, balls, and chewing toys out of Bodhi's mouth.   This dog has dealt with it all! But he also plays with Addison.  He chases Addison when he wants to be chased,  let's Addison snuggle with him, and will even let A read him a story or two :)

 

This is by no means a profound post.  I just wanted to brag on our dog for a second :)

The Tooth Fairy

As you may or may not know, I've been making animal softies for a little while now.  I absolutely LOVE making them. I had been thinking about making a doll for awhile, but lacked the motivation to sit down and design one. About a month ago my dear mother-in-law called me up and asked me if I'd be interested in creating a tooth fairy doll for Layla Grayce (her granddaughter, my niece) for her 5th Birthday. That was just the motivation I needed, and I couldn't wait to get started.

 

I couldn't be happier with my first attempt and haven't been able to stop making them.  I decided to go ahead and make them little dresses instead of just having a decorative body.  I love putting the fabrics together, and coming up with their overall look. 

Now brace yourself for a shameless plug...

 

I have a few dolls up for sale in my etsy (would love for you to check em out and spread the word if you feel so inclined), including a listing for a custom order! I was pleased as punch to have received my very first order for a custom doll last week.  She's finished, and headed off to a 7 yr old girl in Switzerland of all places!  Gotta love Etsy!

 

Addison loves these dolls and asks to hold each one I make.  Although it's fine for him to have a girl doll, I'm really wanting to make a cute little boy version with Airplane wings to match the ones he has :)  So stay tuned for that!

Yay for Friday!!  Enjoy your weekend friends!

3,2,1 Blast Off

You know that moment when you just LOVE being a parent?! Last night was one of those moments for me. We had planned on spending the evening outside, but our plans fell through because of bad weather. So what do you do when you have a rambunctious toddler stuck indoors...you make him wings :)  It took me awhile to figure out what we had around the house that could work.  I guess it's a good thing that I never throw any crafting supplies away, cause I finally found a use for some heavy duty stabilizer that I've literally had FOREVER.  Take a hanger, break off the top, cut your stabilizer into wings, sew the hanger inside, attach elastic straps...and you've got yourself some wings!  Then you let your amazingly talented husband decorate them, and your sweet toddler color them, and you have yourself the perfect buzz lightyear wings a 2 year old could ask for.

 

I wish I could have captured the look on his face when we first put them on.  It was as if a whole new world had been opened up for him.  After flying around for a bit, Russ had the GENIUS idea to pull out a couple mattresses we've had in our back room, and set them up in front of a chair so Addison could really fly!

 I'd say that idea was a huge success :)

Needless to say, he has been wearing his wings non-stop.

 

 

 (from our walk this morning to the play ground)

 (a little more flying practice)

 These are the kinds of moments that make being a parent one of the greatest jobs on the planet!

There's an app for that...

Just found the blogger app for my iPhone! Haven't decided whether that's a good or bad thing yet...ha!

Actually, I'm gonna go ahead and say it's a good thing! I honestly wish I had kept up with blogging these last several months. Not even so that people could read about my life (cause it really isn't even all that interesting), but for ME! I just recently went back and read my posts from the first year of Addison's life. Wow! I can't believe how much has changed since then. I wish I would have documented the changes, to help me remember every stage of his short two year old life.

Addison is quite literally all over the place. Sitting down is reserved for eating and after nap snuggles. It's exhausting at times, but I love it! His personality explodes, and I can't help but smile. Don't get me wrong...there are moments when i feel as though I could pull my hair out, out of frustration, but the smiles far out weigh the hair pulling :) his very being is like a sponge, soaking up every bit of life. We've hit the stage of questioning. "what is that?" is a common phrase of the house. He's so curious, and picks up everything...including things we'd rather he didn't. The other day he repeated the phrase "Oh Crap!". Not the worst thing he could possibly say, but still.
But even though he's picking up so much, i'm needing to remind myself that he is still just 2. It's hard to not get frustrated when he's been doing well with potty training, and out of nowhere poops on the floor! Those are the moments when I need to stop and remind myself, that he's still learning, and that this too shall pass.

Well that's all I have for today. He's napping, and I'm crafting. All is as it should be in the Hickman household!

Green Milkshake...

So, I'm just gonna go ahead and pretend that it hasn't been forever since I last posted.

By now I'm sure everyone's heard of a "green smoothie"...but what about a green milkshake?!  I'm not a huge fan of green vegetables, which is sad, since they're some of the healthiest foods you can put in your body.  Because of this tragedy, and since we have a 2 year old, Russ and I are always looking for ways to add them into our diet.  We've been on the green smoothie train for awhile now, but just recently we came across our new favorite way to incorporate greens...Milkshakes!  Ice Cream is my weakness.  I do not buy it because I lack the self control to not devour the entire container as soon as it makes it into our home.  Lucky for me, our milkshake recipe does not include ice cream.  In fact, it includes no added sugar at all!  You may be asking yourself "How do you make a milkshake without ice cream?".  My answer...BANANAS!!  Frozen bananas to be exact.  We've always included a banana in our green smoothies because of the sweetness, and creamy texture they add.  So one day, I decided to experiment a little.  What if we froze our bananas, and used those in our smoothies, and used milk instead of water?  I'll tell you what happens...you get an amazingly, smooth, sweet, and  delicious milkshake, that's whole food based, and actually good for you!  Needless to say, Addison is a fan!

Don't believe me?  

Try it yourself...I dare you.

Here's what you'll need:
2-3 Frozen Bananas (Make it easy on yourself...peel and cut your bananas before you freeze them)
1-2 Tbl Peanut Butter
Handful of spinach, kale, or greens of your choice
1-2 Cups Milk (We use raw milk...look up the benefits!!)
Throw the bananas, peanut butter, kale,  and half of the milk in your blender, and blend, blend, blend (adding more milk as needed) til you have the perfect consistency. 

This is a super basic recipe, and there is room for LOTS of creativity.  Try adding frozen blueberries, apples, cinnamon, cocoa powder, or any other ingredient that you may fancy.  The possibilities are endless.

La Petite Peach!

Hello Friends...just popping in to tell you about a blog feature on yours truly :) If you care to check it out visit www.lapetitepeach.com

Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Brownies

You read that right...chocolate brownies that are both gluten free AND vegan! When my hubby Russ first told me about these, I was like "sure...I bet they taste great" (add LOTS of sarcasm). He decided to make them for me as part of my Valentines Day dinner he made me...and he made me a believer. They're chewy, chocolatey, and well...just perfect! So as my super belated Valentines Day gift to you...I'm sharing the recipe :)

Raw Brownies with Chocolate Avocado Frosting
From Food Loves Writing

Ingredients:
For brownie layer:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup medjool dates, pitted
1/3 cup cocoa powder

For frosting
1/2 avocado
3 to 5 tablespoons raw honey (you can adjust to taste)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
a hefty dash of cinnamon
a tiny pinch of salt

Directions:
1. Make the brownie layer: Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, with extra paper hanging off the sides so you can lift it out when the brownies are done. Combine walnuts, dates and 1/3 cup of cocoa powder in a food processor and blend until the mixture looks like clumpy dirt or potting soil. Pat this mixture into a compact layer in the bottom of your lined loaf pan.

2. Make the frosting: Combine avocado, honey, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a food processor and blend until smooth. Spread mixture over the brownie layer in the loaf pan, creating an even layer on top.

3. Freeze the loaf pan for 30 minutes to an hour. Remove parchment from loaf pan, lifting the brownies out in one big piece. Slice and serve. Note the brownies will be slightly crumbly, so they are best eaten with a spoon or fork.

Just as a bit of bonus info, this recipe, being that it utilizes all whole foods, is filled with all kinds of nutritional benefits. Walnuts are high in Omega-3s, known to control inflammation. Dates are not only an excellent source of fiber but also B vitamins. There are rich antioxidants in cocoa powder and honey, and the avocado is one of those really amazing sources of good monounsaturated fat, shown to be easily burned by the body for energy.


On another note...I've been up to quite a bit these days in the crafting department. I've added a bunch of super cute crocheted headbands to the store...

And some pretty cute necktie onesies too :)

Plus, I'm working on some new animals I hope to be adding soon...so stay tuned :)

A's appy sauce...

I don't know about you, but I am always looking for ways to "sneak" veggies in to A's food. Don't get me wrong, A does love him some broccoli, and I want him to eat his veggies by themselves, but you can never get enough veggies, so why not throw it in with some of the other foods he eats!

One such concoction is A's appy sauce (he can't say apple...so he says appy, and I love it...haha).
It's super duper tasty and easy, and pretty darn cheap too. A bag of organic apples at Trader Joes is $2.49, and a bag of organic carrots are $.89. You could do several batches for under $4...not too bad.

So here's what you need to make one jar of A's appy sauce:

3-4 apples

cinnamon
4-5 carrots

I start off by peeling and chopping my carrots, and then throwing them into a steam basket over steaming water, and let them chill until their tender (10-15 min). If you don't have a steamer...throw the carrots in just enough boiling water to cover the carrots, and let boil for 15-20 min. Then toss the carrots (no water) into the blender.

While the carrots are steaming, I core and chop my apples. I usually skin half, but then leave the other half with skins on to get those good nutrients you're missing out on by throwing the skins away. Throw those in a heavy bottomed pan, and add a few Tbs of water, and some cinnamon (I think I usually end up adding around a Tbs or so). The cinnamon is great, cause not only does it add a great flavor, but there are some awesome health benefits to cinnamon as well (http://www.organicauthority.com/health/11-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html). Cook the apples, cinnamon, and water on low until the apples are tender (about 6-8 min). Throw the apples and juices in the blender with your carrots, and blend away to your little hearts content.

Pour the sauce into an old applesauce jar :) and let cool

And then watch your little munckin enjoy the fruits (and veggies...hehe) of your labor. This is the best part!

I've tried this same sauce, but with Broccoli instead of carrots...and he loves it!
There are probably a million different variations you could make, so get creative!

Crocheted Bottle Cap Trivet

Has it really been 5 months since my last post?! Golly, I didn't realize I was quite this bad at keeping up a blog.

First off, can I just say how crazy, amazing, handsome, and wonderful our little Addison is?! He is going to be 22 months this month, and I can't even begin to explain how I feel about him being so close to 2 years old. Gosh, he's doing so much more now then the last time I posted about him. He has a ton of words, and has started putting 2 and 3 words together. The absolute BEST is when he says "la la Mommy" which means love you mommy. Makes my heart melt every time. He is 100% boy. He loves his trucks and trains, and LOVES to wrestle anything and everything that comes in his path. He's mischievous as all get out, but also can be the sweetest little munchkin.


And of course I have to talk about crafting...haha. My newest completed project is this adorable crocheted bottle cap trivet...

I'm pretty sure I started this thing 6 months ago...but with a little push from my dear hubby, I finished it up over the weekend. I saw this pattern while browsing patterns on Ravelry, and just fell in love with it. I did make a few adjustments to the pattern so here goes:


Materials:
Size 0 Crochet hook
DMC Embroidery Floss (I was able to make 2 covers per package of embroidery floss)
Bottle Caps (preferably twist off)

Ch 6, and then slip stitch in the first chain to form a ring
Rnd 1: Ch 4, 19 tc in ring, slip stitch in top of ch 4
Rnd 2: Ch2, dc2tog around, slip stitch in top of ch 2
*take your bottle cap, and put into the pocket you've created
Rnd 3: With bottle cap in your cover, Ch1, sc2tog around, slip stitch in top of ch1 and tie off

When you've made all of the covers you want (I made 55), turn em over, and start stitching together in whatever pattern you decide (I used a simple whip stitch).

Is it silly that it makes my heart a little happier when I see it sitting on the kitchen table? I'm thinking about selling them in my etsy shop...so if you're not a crocheter...stay tuned :)

Enjoy your Wednesday friends!