Green Smoothie Cubes (How to)

How to make green smoothie cubes! 

 The article I mentioned in the video can be found right here. Sums up greatly why it's important to steam your greens and consume them with a healthy fat. 

Christmas 2013 through photos

 A really quick glimpse of our christmas through crappy iphone pictures. We tried to remember to take photos, but we just focused on enjoying our time together. This year was really great. It was quiet, calm and really peaceful. A perfect last christmas of being a family of three!

A couple of these are from christmas eve, when our family goes to Cody's grandma's to do a family dinner, and family gift exchange. Then, we all do our own christmas mornings and meet back up on christmas day for dinner.

We open stockings first thing in the morning, on our bed. They get put in the bedroom on christmas eve to be filled, so in the morning we open them and eat breakfast in bed before going out to open presents.  We also open new jammies on christmas eve to wear to bed (and lets be honest, christmas day.)

You will have to forgive that they are out of order, I was trying to get these on here, but they are from both our phones and I didn't want to spend 20 mins arranging them haha. 

 {Reindeer Food}

 {Christmas Eve}

 {Christmas Eve Pajama time!}

 {Christmas Eve}

 {Christmas Eve}

 {Christmas Eve}

 {Christmas Eve}

I hope you all had a very happy holiday, surrounded by those you love!

Love from the Miller family xox

32 Weeks

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain: 

Maternity clothes? Nope. I bought a couple more white T's though. I live in them.

Stretch marks? Nothing new.

Sleep: Good. I have a slight wakeful period around 3 or 4 but it doesn't really bother me.

Best moment of the week: I 'saw' what he looked like, saw his little face while in hypnosis. It made my heart swell!

Miss anything? No, not really. Maybe just working out and unmodified yoga, but those will be back before I know it!

Number of times I get up to pee at night: Once or twice, typically.

Movement: Lots! He is getting squished in there. my ribs will vouch for that.

Food Cravings: No... actually having to monitor my eating closely. He is taking up all the room, so i'm not getting very many hunger indicators. No room for my stomach so I have to just eat now to be sure we are both being well nourished.

Anything making you queasy or sick: No, but I am more sensitive to fake scents, so I hate them more than usual. (those fabreez scented garbage bags? Gag!)

Labor signs: No.

Symptoms: Turning in my sleep from one side to the other is pretty uncomfortable right now. But braxton hicks seem to be much less which is good.

Belly button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? So happy!!

Looking forward to: Giving birth! I'm really starting to get into my instinctual 'zone', which is sort of intense, but the connection to my body is amazing.

Last Trip to the Zoo as Three

We had an appointment with our midwife last Thursday, so we made a day of the trip to the city by doing some last Christmas shopping, and hitting the zoo and zoo lights! 

 This was our last family trip to the zoo as a family of three. Next time we visit, there will be four of us! 

I need to get photos off of my phone so I have room for Christmas, so enjoy this zoo photo dump. 

All the photos of Cody and I are taken by Mackynzie. She is our little paparazzi. 

She got this lovely eye brow bonk by distractedly walking into an exhibit sign. Poor girl. Pony band aids help.

31 Weeks

How far along? 31 weeks

Total weight gain: no weight gain this week. 149lbs, so total weight gain of 19lbs so far.

Maternity clothes? Nope!

Stretch marks? No new additions

Sleep: better! Feeling more rested this week.

Best moment of the week: Seeing my midwife for the last time until we enter 'could be anytime now'. She helped me figure out his positioning and answered all of my questions for the big day.

Miss anything? Yoga inversions haha

Number of times I get up to pee at night: 1 to 3 times

Movement: Like crazy! this little boy is mellow but moves lots at the same time.

Food Cravings: None.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing out of my ordinary.

Labor signs: No

Symptoms: I had really sore calves after a day and evening of zoo walking. Ouch.

Belly button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy! So happy!

Looking forward to: Christmas! But also my baby shower is right around the corner. I'm hoping it's lots of fun!

Please excuse my 'end of the day' appearance haha

 

A Polar Express Party

I'm sitting here, Christmas lights glowing,  chatting Cody's ear off about everything I have pondered today. Thank goodness for the way my mind can flow from one random thing to a complete other, because I remembered I never posted about our polar express party! I sat down to edit photos only to find myself saying a big' ol NOPE, because I am trying my hardest not to pile on too many things that just aren't really necessary. Sure, edited photos would look nicer, but I'm reminding myself that I am a priority (especially when pregnant.), and that magical moments shine through even the grainiest of cell phone pictures. 

****

This year, we hosted our very first polar express party. I remember seeing my very first north pole party, and getting that giddy christmas excitement to share that experience with my own kids. The polar express is probably my favorite christmas movie, and we watch it every christmas eve, so I decided to make that  our theme since it felt so much like christmas to us.

Mackynzie was officially old enough this year,  to understand, appreciate and be super excited for a party like this. I set a rule for myself to "keep it simple", with things being busy with christmas and the fact that I'm pretty darn pregnant, I didn't want to over-do myself. (This pregnancy has required me to really pick and choose where my efforts go, or I get put up on the couch for an entire afternoon drinking loads of water and nursing sore hips and braxton hicks contractions.) 

It wound up being perfect. Simple, yet plenty of magic. I don't think my little girl has ever had so much fun at an event, so that right there made me feel like a million bucks. 

Pajamas where required of course. 

The break down of the afternoon was: A play session while we waited for all of our guests, gluten free cookie decorating, and a hot chocolate bar with popcorn to enjoy while we watched the polar express.

We collected all the throw pillows, giant teddy bears, and throw blankets and flopped them on the floor to create a giant, cozy, movie watching lounge for littles.

 The cookie decorating was a big hit. I loved watching what each little one chose to put on theirs, and even the specific placements on some. Kids are really hilarious in the way they like things.

Once their bellies were full of cookies, they all watched popcorn pop, filled little bowls, grabbed their hot cocoa's and piled into the living room to watch the movie. 

We had 8 kids and 3 new babies. This is most of the gang from our natural parenting group. I feel so fortunate to have these sweet friends in our life! 

At the end of the party, Mackynzie handed out little bells that said 'believe' that we made together. If you have watched the movie, you will know why I love this little detail so.

 It was a big success for our first go at it. Mackynzie cried when it was time to say good-bye (which took me by surprise, because she has never done that before!). She hugged and kissed her friends, and thanked them for coming. I can't even tell you how precious it is to see your child form friendships they are so passionate about. It fills my heart right to the top to see her share so much love with her friends. 

Reports started coming in shortly after from all the mamas, that every kid was either snoring for the night before they got home, or that they crashed shortly after. Sign of a good Christmas party? I think so!