Family Pictures 2013

We finally got some family pictures done! I had been dying for updated pictures! We hadn't gotten pictures taken of us since our wedding day and quite a bit has changed since then. I found a super great deal and couldn't pass it up. I'm so excited to have new pictures up on my wall! Boo Ya!

What makes me happy: Relationships

I love my job! I love the fact that I get to stay home with Abbigail. I love being able to play with her, feed her, see her when she wakes up from her naps, go on walks with her, etc. I know I have a bond with her that no one else does. I know she loves me; I'm her mom. Sometimes I get thinking about how Drew is gone for a lot of the day and I wonder if she will be able to build that kind of relationship with him too. I want her to be able to connect with her daddy and I feared that because she is so young and he is gone so much that she wouldn't be able to do that. I don't feel like this all the time, but occasionally this wanders into my mind. But yesterday, this happened: 

This made any fear or worry that I have. Seeing Abbi interact with Drew melts my heart. Completely. They way she smiles, giggles, growls (if you know my daughter, you know thats a good thing), and talks with him tells me I have nothing to worry about. Now that she is crawling, she follows him places and lately, as he is walking out the door in the morning, she doesn't take her eyes off of him. The relationship these two share is special. No one can take the place of her dad. With all of the craziness going on in this world, I am so thankful Abbi and the rest of our future littles have Drew to be their protector, provider, example, father and friend. 

This is what makes me happy! What makes you happy? 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.

If you are looking for a yummy chicken dinner and you want to spend about 1.5 seconds making it, then this is for you! (Okay, you will probably spend a little bit longer than 1.5 seconds. But seriously, the prep time is like 5 minutes!)

The original recipe I saw was this one. But I'm not a huge fan of green beans so I substituted broccoli and baby carrots. I bet you could use any vegetable; Corn, cauliflower, zucchini, they all sound good to me! 

What You'll Need:

3-4 Chicken Breasts

Red Baby Potatoes

Whatever Vegetable 

1 Packet of Italian Dressing Mix

1/2 Stick of Butter

Yes, this is as easy as it looks. Cube the Potatoes, and place them in a 9X13 pan with the chicken and vegetables. (like the above picture). Sprinkle your packet of Italian dressing mix over top, met your butter and do the same. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour. And just like that, dinner is ready! Try it out! We loved it! 

P.S. This has nothing to do with chicken dinners, but there is this giveaway (a Rafflecopter giveaway ) for a kitchen aid mixer and I really want to win. Blogging about it gives me extra entries. So, here ya go.  

Bithday Hacking :)

Well Ashley you have been hacked, by me, your husband. You left your password on my computer and I decided this would be the day that I would take command of your blog, but just for the day (don't worry everyone).

Today is your birthday Ashley and I want everyone to know how you are my joy. This past week when I was at the U.N. defending the family my love for you grew stronger and stronger. I realized how blessed I was to have a wife who loved me, who was perfect in every way, who wants a big family (12 kids she told me once), and who loves spending everyday with Abbi.

So here's to you birthday girl! I hope you have a great b-day. I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays to come. I love you the most Ashley Elizabeth Wright :)

You'll be my queen forever

Perfect.

I don't think there is anything more perfect than a newborn baby. Nothing is wrong in the world when you are holding a brand new baby sent from Heaven. Oh I miss this stage! Welcome to the world baby Daniel. This auntie loves you a bunch AND you have awesome parents. You're one lucky dude!

6 Months.

First of all, I can't believe I am the mother of a 6 month old. That's half way to a year! I've said this before, but time really is passing too quickly. At 6 months:
-Abbi weighs 13lbs 6oz and is 24.75 inches long. She is pretty petite (8th percentile), but her head is in the 50th percentile. She's a smarty! -Abbi has started scooting, sitting up, and is really, really close to crawling. Seriously, it's freaking me out! Time to baby proof EVERYTHING! -Officially has one tooth that has popped through, but we are fairly certain a couple more are not far behind. Thank you Tylenol!   -She is eating solids morning and night with bottles throughout the rest of the day. I've bought some little snacks, but she isn't a huge fan. The only snack she will eat are the Gerber biscuit/cookie things. She loves those! Me, not so much. FYI, they are SUPER hard to clean up!  -She is loving bath time! When she was first born, there was nothing worse than bath time. Now, if she is fussy we throw her in the bath and all is good in the world.  -She has kind of made her own sleeping schedule. Her naps during the day are pretty regular. One nap from 9-11 and another one from 1-3. After that we try and keep her up until bed time. (that's usually between 7 and 8). Usually, she wakes up once during the night for a quick bottle, then she is back to sleep. But last night she went 11 hours straight!  -She knows who strangers are. If Mom or Dad is holding her, she is a very social girl, but if we hand her off to someone she doesn't know she starts crying. (makes me feel needed :)
We honestly feel so blessed to have Abbigail in our lives. She is a very happy and playful baby. It melts my heart to see her laughing and playing with dad. She is so full of personality already. I can't wait to see what her future holds. 

3 Tips To Keep Your Days Sunny-Side Up!

1. Do Something! I have found that when I am having a bad day, feeling sorry for myself, stressed, or a combination of the three, I can shift my focus to something other than myself and my day magically gets 10 times better. There is something about knowing you helped someone, that brings a smile to your face. PLUS, you are helping someone else to feel better AND making yourself feel better at the same time! So ironically, this selfless deed becomes a bit selfish. (was that confusing?)

2. Trust God! There are so many aspects of our lives that we have no control over. We may not know why things happen the way they do. But, I do know that God has a plan for each and every one of us. He knows our weaknesses, our dislikes, our strengths, and our favorite things. By trusting God, we can allow ourselves to relax and know whatever comes our way is something we can get through. If God puts you to it, he'll get you through it. A lot of trials and hardships end up making us stronger and teaching us lessons. In the moment it may be hard to have this frame of mind, but listen when I say, God will help you through any trial that may come your way! Things will always get better.

3. Fake it until you make it! I'm sure we have all heard this, but have you tried it? Seriously, If you aren't feeling like smiling, go to the mirror, and make the {cheesiest} grin you can possibly make. If you aren't feeling like laughing, laugh the silliest laugh you can possibly make as loud as you can. I know this sounds super juvenile, but this has really worked for me. Nothing is as bad as it seems.

 "...no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

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