Five On Friday

So I thought I'd give you a little tiny Cooper break.

I know, take a moment... You didn't think that was possible did you?!

Well it happens occasionally and today is one of those days! I'm linking up with the very fun Five On Friday! I haven't done a link up in quite some time, so this is a nice little change of pace - let's get this party started! My five random thoughts of Friday:

1. Girls... Prepare yourself... This is really good stuff coming at you...

Remember the ridiculously awesome cake we had at Cooper's gender reveal brunch? (I can brag and say that it was ridiculously awesome because I had ZERO to do with the fact that it looked so. stinking. cute! I just gave Cassie a copy of the invitation and let her do her cake designing magic!) Well, my crazy amazing cake decorating friend is doing a how to make a cake tutorial on her blog!! I am beyond excited! She is posting it in parts so this is simply the basics, but I learned some new and very helpful tips! Her adorable blog, The Farmer's Daughter, is a great place to find fun healthy recipes. Go check it out! 

PS I pinned her Let Them Eat Cake post here for easy repinning!

2. TV time... I have wayyy too many "shows" right now, and admittedly, The Bachelor is one that I could should kill off. It's down to the final two and I'm not just super excited about either of them - whomp whomp. I guess I'm "Team Nikki" because I think Clare is pretty manipulative... however, I forecast Mrs. Juan Pablo will be (drum roll please) Clare. I may be wrong, I don't read the spoilers unless my friend, Sheridan, calls me and tells me what they say!

Side Note: I was a huge fan of Renee (the mom who lasted until the final four)... but because I really liked her I didn't necessarily want her to win! Does that make sense? She was so incredibly kind and momma-ed all the girls when they needed someone to listen to them or give them sound advice... I hope she finds the man of her dreams and gets her happily ever after without the scrutiny of national television.

3. So I'm a HUGE MacKenzie Childs fan (like I may need to find a MKC Anonymous group soon) and while my heart will always be devoted to the classic black and white Courtly Check I may be having a slight love affair with the white Flower Market. Ohhhh my. It's not like it's new, but I guess I was just always zoned in on the checks and never stopped to smell the roses (see what I did there?!). I love the beautiful flowers and fun burst of color - how did I not catch this sooner?! I LOVE how they awesome they look paired up with my classic black and white - seriously, does it get cuter than checks and flowers?! I'm probably going to have to cut this post short so I can start on my Christmas 2014 wish list... If anyone would like to donate to my slowly growing collection you can email me for the address where you can send your contribution. Cash, checks, money order or bars of gold are accepted!

4. I've gotten quite a few questions about what in the world I'm feeding Cooper - Did I skip the rice cereal? Does he choke? How do you know he's eating enough? All great questions that I, too, asked a few months ago! So, while I'm happy to answer each one individually, I thought I would share the book I've been reading and the theory behind skipping the purees and taking on the big boy food from the start. Baby Led Weaning is the approach that we decided was best for Cooper and our lifestyle - it may not be best for your family, that's completely up to you to decide. There are pros and cons to each approach! We have watched Cooper's hand/eye coordination improve drastically over the past few weeks; We've not had a single choking incident (God gave babies lots of built in safety features! It's actually really quite interesting!); We have loved watching him explore and enjoy a variety of foods - even ones that his mommy would NEVER eat; and last, but certainly note worthy, we have cleaned up a lot of serious messes. The book can be found here on Amazon for $10 and I've found it really interesting! 

5. Last but certainly not least, meet one very precious little girl named Tatum. This adorable child is the daughter of one of Brandon's friends from high school who  happened to marry a girl who grew up ten minutes from my hometown - small world! Back in August, Tatum had a very scary surgery to remove a horribly terrifying brain tumor. With the help of LOTS of prayers her surgeons were able to do their job incredibly well and she has since recovered beautifully! This morning I saw on her Facebook group "Pray for Tatum" that she had received tough news at her last appointment - nickel sized growth was found on the scan above her ear and she will be going back in for another surgery on Tuesday morning. Oh how my heart aches for this sweet family... I am so guilty of taking the health of my child for granted, but not on day's like today. Please join me by adding a reminder to your phone, marking your calendar,  sticking a post-it on your bathroom mirror, whatever you do to make sure you don't forget something really important and let's all cover Miss Tatum and her parents in prayer on Tuesday morning! 

Here's what I'll be praying for specifically: Strength, bravery and healing for this sweet girl. Guidance, focus, wisdom and a steady hand for her surgeons. Peace, comfort and the ability to feel God's presence for her parents, Michelle and Steve. 

You can stay up to date on Tatum's progress by liking her Facebook page Pray for Tatum.

6. So I know there's only suppose to be five but I couldn't really go an entire post without a picture of my sweet boy. Sorry, I tried!

Be Blessed,

Raegan