Kitty & Kevin

Dear Pepper,

The amount of braxton hicks I've been having this week has been shocking. I'm just really hoping it means you'll come out on your own sometime around (or before) your due date.

My feet have certainly swelled this week...I've lost my ankles and am getting sausage toes. Not near as bad as last time, but I can handle this for a few more weeks.

I also spent a good part of the the beginning of the week crying....very moody. I was crying because I was happy, crying because I was sad...it was just a lot of emotions.

We are starting to have discussions on what the plan is if you decide not to come out on your own. I hate planning for that, but I am a planner...so that's just how we roll.

You've also been totally squashing my bladder this week. Not just the constant need to pee, but the pain of feeling like I have to go all the time is getting to be a hassle.

We have another weekend of a handful of photo sessions, and then that about wraps it up for us! It …

Best idea I've had all week was gearing up for Valentine Mini sessions for the photography business! I got the idea of a kissing booth and realized it was a MUST HAVE for our sessions. 
Thankfully, Lorelai put up with the idea just enough to be our model for sessions. 

Let me first just say how easy this is, and how perfect for toddlers! 
Materials:  Wood Crate Two 2x1 boards (or other long skinny board) 2x4 wood plank the length of your crate Foam or wood heart for the sign Paint as needed (black and white) Paint brushes  Bunting  Screws (6 or so) Screw Driver 
So let me start by saying apart from the crate and hearts, everything else was just scrap wood we had laying around.  Total cost for us was about $15 ($13 crate then dollar store supplies)
I'm sure like me, once you see that the bottom part of this is just a wood crate, you are thinking "Oh, I don't even need instructions for the rest of this." And you're probably right! 
First cut and paint your supp…

Dear Pepper,

I'm sick. Which good news for you is maybe you'll be more immune to illness when you arrive. Bad news for me is being sick while pregnant is the WORST. There is only so much a neti pot, humidifier and vaporub can do for you...I desperately want some good ole cold medicine.

On the good side we are really at the countdown stage now, and my feet are STILL fitting into my shoes. A drastic change from last pregnancy. I'm also growing more thankful for the sleep I have been getting (because I know that could change any day when you arrive).

No surprise, I'm still snoring like crazy. Which means your dad has practically permanently moved to the basement (into your room).

I've started thinking about the future dynamics between you and Lorelai lately and how that will play out. Although Lorelai has never acted jealous of other kids, I feel she has the potential to be a little monster. Thankfully she is very good at playing on her own, but I suspect every older …

Have you tried the 14 Day Money Finder Challenge by Rachel Cruze. It is a once a day challenge for you to find a way to save money!
Click here to sign up

Here is a quick recap of our 2nd week of the challenge! 
Day 8: Track your food spending. Go into your bank account and write down what you've actually spend on groceries and going out to eat. Don't estimate, really look and write it down.

Day 9: Change your food habits. Pack your lunch, buy generic and meal plan ahead of time. I will say, I already pack a lunch every day for work. We buy generic often, but decided to make some small changes in our cereal habits...as this is one place we've always bought name-brand. Meal planning has never been a good place for me, but with online grocery shopping (something we've done almost exclusively for a year+ now) it really has helped curb impulse buys on our groceries.

Day 10: Spend the hidden $20. Again...I struggle with how this is really beneficial, but I know there is psych…

Dear Pepper,

You woke me up once this week kicking me in the ribs. I've also had some very vivid dreams again and a lot of extra trips to the bathroom at night.


We got to see you again for an ultra sound. Although we couldn't see features very well, we were told you have a lot of hair! You're also weighing in about 6lbs 11 oz right now, you're head down, and still a girl-- all good things! 
We really are in the home stretch now, and I keep saying that after this weekend I'm ready for you to come any day (I just have enough to do this weekend that I'd like to have a couple more days!) 

I'll be the first to admit, I do not cook. Well, I certainly at least do not cook well or often. This year I've gotten in the habit of making 2-3 meals a week (usually crockpot) to get us through with leftovers for most of the other days.

A couple weeks ago, we got an instapot. I was pretty hesitant at first, curious about how this was really better than my good ole crock pot. Then what sold me was the ability to cook frozen meat easily.

So we've been trying out some meals, and recently I really wanted to figure out a way to make my normal crockpot white bean chicken chili into an instapot meal. After a little research and combining some recipes...I came up with possibly my favorite meal of all time.




Ingredients:  4 frozen chicken breasts 1 can of corn with liquid  Half cup chicken broth Half a ranch packet  Half diced onion (I use frozen pre chopped, the best invention ever) 1 can Rotel 2 cans great northern white beans- drained If you like a spicy chili, add some spice he…