Little Reader

Just sitting here relaxing, doing some reading.

Just kidding! Gotcha mom!

A Very Merry Christmas

We had a great Christmas celebrating Christ's birth with lots of family this year. I feel so blessed to have so many sweet family members to spend the holiday with and that I can squeeze my baby tight. We had a good friend lose his father on Christmas Eve, and I just think about all those families that lost children in the school shooting and how heartbreaking this time is for them. It is a reminder that life is short and God gives and takes away and we never know what may happen tomorrow. That is such a scary thought to me but it does remind me to be so thankful for each day.

We went to Waco on Saturday and stayed until Christmas day. The guys went hunting Saturday while the girls went shopping. On Sunday we went to church in the morning, then ran some errands in the afternoon. We had a lot of fun opening gifts that evening.

Cambry was so proud to ride around in her new car from Nana and Pops.

Somehow I forgot to get a picture of the 3 (almost 4!)  Bryants.

On Monday Greg and I took Cambry to the mall to get her picture taken with Santa. She didn't cry or fuss at all. She just sat there and looked at him. It was pretty funny. She was pretty serious though, so we didn't quite get a smile, but at least she didn't cry!

That afternoon the weather was beautiful so we went to the park. 

We were hoping our little hike would help Jill go in to labor, but no luck!

That evening we went to the candlelight service at church and then came home and relaxed. We left the next day after lunch. We were hoping Anderson would make his debut before we left but unfortunately he didn't. That's ok though, he will come at just the right time. Little miss Cambry came 9 days late so sometimes babies just take their time and it is definitely worth the wait.

We stopped in Navasota on the way home to visit Greg's grandma for a bit. Then when we got back to Houston my parents came over so we could do Christmas gifts together. They brought over a delicious dinner - ham, sweet potatoes, and lima beans. It was great and I didn't have to do a thing! Cambry had fun opening and playing with her new toys.

So thankful for a very Merry Christmas!

Bieber Fever

It is funny that I got some comments on Cambry's hair on the Christmas Lights post - and I didn't even post the really bad one. Here is one that just cracks me up. I call it her sheep dog look.

Is anyone seeing the resemblance here?

I now put Cambry's hair in a little top pony tail (or "side spike" as Greg calls it) every day because otherwise it just hangs in her eyes. And for those wondering, no I do not plan to cut it any time soon. I am just letting it grow out. Greg has agreed that bows are finally functional! Yes!

2 Steps Forward 1 Step Back

Sometimes in order to get things done, you have to let other things get a little un-done.

Cambry entertained herself by unloading my box of gift bags.

But hey, I was able to get all my Christmas wrapping done!

And with a face as sweet as this, how can I even tell her no? I just want to smother her with kisses.

Soup Recipe

I made some soup last night for a friend who just had a baby and I doubled the recipe so we would have some too. I have made this soup several times and it is so good. It is pretty thick - more like a chili or a pasta (since it has a lot of orzo in it). And the best part was, Cambry loved it! She rarely likes what we are eating. She is not a big fan of meat yet. Usually only chicken and in certain forms. She doesn't even seem to like plain noodles with cheese. Yet for some reason she gobbled up this soup. The original recipe from Cooking Light is found here. Below is my version with modifications - I took the lazy/time saving approach.

Chicken and White Bean Soup

2 slices bacon, chopped (I used turkey bacon cooked in the microwave)
12 oz. boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces (I used a whole rotisserie chicken, which was plenty since I doubled the recipe)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chopped plum tomato (I used 1 roma Tomato, is that the same?)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano (I used dried, and less)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth (I used a little more)
2/3 cup uncooked orzo
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (I used dried, and less)
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt

Saute onion and garlic in large pot with a little bit of olive oil until tender. Add tomato, oregano, and pepper and cook for a minute more. Add bacon, chicken, water, and broth. Bring to a boil. Add orzo and cook for 9 minutes or until al dente. Add beans and cook until heated. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley, vinegar, and salt.

Christmas Lights

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is driving around looking at Christmas lights. We always did this growing up. We would all pile in the car in our jammies with hot chocolate and look at lights. We did this last year with our brand new baby and some yummy Starbucks. Look at how teeny tiny she was. I love looking through her newborn pictures.

We did it again this year with our cute little one year old. We left the house when it was her bed time and she slept peacefully in the car while we sipped our peppermint mochas, listened to Christmas music, and looked at lights. Here she is before we headed out.

Cambry's 1st Birthday Party

We had Cambry's 1st birthday party at our house this past weekend. We had a family party, plus just a couple of friends that are pretty much family. I wish we could have had all of Cambry's little friends and their parents celebrate with us, but just with family alone our house is packed full. We are blessed with such a great, big, family.

Greg asked me what the theme was for the party. I said Pinterest, ha! Really there was no specific theme, but I think I got almost every idea from Pinterest.

I found a picture of a cupcake cake on Pinterest and pretty much copied it exactly for Cambry's smash cake.

I love these ribbon garlands that are everywhere on Pinterest and so easy to make.

Cambry's monthly photos.

Lindsay made this adorable banner for Cambry.

Cambry enjoyed eating some birthday lunch.

Then we sang Happy Birthday to the birthday girl.

I'm not exactly sure what happened, but suddenly things went downhill quickly. 

It's my party and I can cry if I want to.

But she quickly recovered and enjoyed the rest of the party. Lindsay let us borrow these balls and it was a big hit. Hayes was so funny lounging in them.

I absolutely love Cambry's birthday dress. I ordered it on Etsy from this shop. This lady makes the most darling things. She lives in Houston too. 

Nana and Cambry.

Cousin Connie and the twins.

PaDad and Gigi.

Aunt Lauren and Uncle Cody.

Uncle Jamo and Aunt Mel Mel.

Nana and Pops.

The guys had fun playing bean bag toss in the back yard.

Gigi and my BFF Lindsay of 23 years! Wow, that makes us seem old!

Sweet little Cayden.

I realized the other day that Liz and I have been friends for 12 years. We met on the first day at A&M. Wow, time flies!

Thomas and Lindsay are the directors of the middle school class and do such an awesome job. Their baby girl is due in just a couple weeks and we are so excited for them!

We had such a fun time celebrating Cambry and are thankful for so many people that love her. Happy 1st birthday to our sweet sweet girl.