God Protected Us

You know those stories of mothers who gain the strength of a dozen men to pick up a car, rescuing her child underneath it? I wish I could say that I am that mother, but my story is not nearly as dramatic as it is just plain terrifying. But I did get a taste of what it might be like-- my instincts kicked in and I went with it!

Today I got to put out a house fire. Well sort  of. I mean I would have had to if I didn't catch it when I did.

The baby was fed and fast asleep, so I seized this opportunity for a hot shower- I might even get to shave my legs! As I was hopping in, (or stepping, rather-- hopping into a slippery tub can be so dangerous!) I got a faint whiff of something burning. That unmistakable smell. I'd woken up this morning and threw some frozen chicken in the crock pot, so I thought I'd better go check and make sure my food wasn't on fire. I reluctantly threw a towel around myself. Approaching the kitchen, the scent faded. Odd. Was it coming from the other end of the house? The living room? Or worse, Rylan's room? That was not the only issue-- there was a cardboard box of baby's clothes directly underneath it. I reached up to move the box-- as I did so, a smoldering nighttime sleeper fell from the top of the box onto the carpet. Its original white was tainted with the black and brown of a fierce burn, while other parts glowed a blinding orange. Quickly grabbing part of the outfit that was not yet destroyed, I rushed to the sink and sprayed it with water.

What a scare! It would have only taken a few minutes more to fill that room with smoke, and worse, my new son's lungs as well. When he woke up from his nap, he coughed a bit, but I think everything is fine! We left the house to make sure the smoke cleared.

All's well that ends well, but I did get such an adrenaline rush as my instincts kicked in. I felt like I understood why those mothers would do crazy things or gain crazy strength to protect their babies, even though I did neither of those things. It's just that the safety and well-being of my baby instantly became my only priority like a horse with blinders on. God must have really had his hand over our family today!

This is the outfit that got burned!

This is where Rylan was sleeping and that closet two feet to the left is where the chaos took place!

Needless to say we will be rearranging our closet!

Photo Book

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Baby Rylan's Newborn Pictures

At just 5 days old, Rylan had his first photoshoot. Unfortunately, he takes after his father and didn't enjoy the experience so much! (It was pretty cold outside!) But, thanks to Life's Little Moment's Photography, we have some adorable captured moments. For anyone who's interested, a link to a slideshow if his newborn pictures is below. We'll take more 3, 6, 9, and 12 months! At least I'm having fun with it, even if Nick and Rylan aren't ;)

Rylan's Slideshow

Thanks for all your love and support during this time, everyone! People don't quite understand how hard having a baby is until they have one (I surely didn't understand it!) so everyone's support through this has been awesome!

Cake Mix Cookies

Cake mix cookies are DA BOMB.
If you don't know what that means, ask a middle schooler. You won't regret it! haha

The reason I like cake mix cookies so much is the simple idea of adding limited ingredients to a box of premade powder, resulting in a dense, rich cookie. It's miraculous!!

The recipe follows.
You'll need:
1 box of cake mix (any flavor, any brand-- I prefer Devil's Food, but I've had Strawberry and Yellow batter as well!)
1/3 cup veg. oil
2 eggs
Optional mix-ins (chopped nuts, chopped Reece's, chocolate chips, mint chips, raisins, coconut, oatmeal, anything you can think of or all of the above!)

To Bake:
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease two baking sheets.
Mix all ingredients in medium bowl.
Form into 1" balls using a cookie scoop...or your hands...
Bake 10-12 minutes.

Nothing glamorous, but oh so delicious!!!!

Enjoy!!!!

Valentine's Baby~ Rylan Bentley Brown

Well, happy Valentine's Day to us!

We welcomed our son, Rylan Bentley, into the world at 11:34 on February 14. A little early, but that was expected with some of the complications we were having. He weighed 5.5 pounds and was 17 inches long. Little guy with some big fight!

One of Rylan's first pictures. MANY to follow :) Nick also wanted me to point out the KU beanie!

 

 

Also, just a congratulatory side note: our in-laws (Nick's older sister Jill and her husband Caleb) had their baby this morning (Feb. 15 around 9am). This makes for one busy family, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I hope you all enjoy joining me on this lifelong journey of what motherhood and sacrificial parenting looks like! It will be very difficult at times (I have no doubts!) but I know it will be extremely worth it in the end.

DIY Canvas Art

The story goes like this: our loyal but clueless beagle chewed up my antique version of Huckleberry Finn, which is devastating to an English major who enjoys collecting things! I decided I needed a way to salvage the pages at least!

My poor book! :(

Using my faithful Mod Podge, I plastered select pages (ones in good conditions and preferably lacking the profanity that can generally be found in Mark Twain's novels) in several directions on a small canvas (bought from Hobby Lobby, 2 for $3.50!)

At the top of the picture you can see the canvas covered in paper.

I then used a Sharpie (fine tip first, then a thicker one later to fill out the color) to create the shape of a tree. Using an image to copy is helpful here!

I created the bird out of felt and fabric- sketch it first! That might sound obvious but I'd be lying if I said I didn't try to wing it first... In placing the bird on the canvas, I'll be real when I say I tried to place it over the area where my tree looked more like a blob and less like a tree.... Simply using hot glue, I adhered the bird strategically!

After adding some font (hope) to the bottom corner since I sort of thought it looked blank, I think it may be finished-- but I might add a Bible verse. Not sure yet.

The finished product :)

Since this is kind of colorful, I will probably end up using it in the baby's room! I first saw this idea on Pinterest and modified it for my own personal taste.

This Might be What You Call Nesting...

Faux painting an entire room after working a full day at the high school. Then, proceeding to repaint the trim in the dining room. Hanging curtains. Then, mod podging (yes, I think this is a legitimate verb...) some old chairs to make them new. Baking, cooking, freezing, cleaning..... the list goes on.

This is not normal behavior.

This is what you call nesting. And it happened to me. In one day. Superhero Mom? I wouldn't go that far. More like, "It's crunch time!!!!!"

My so very retro chairs!