Happily Ever Mock

Happy Wednesday! One other goal I had for the new year is to start weekly lesson plans with Hallie.  Not a structured lesson plan really, just learning through play.  Each week we will be focusing on a Letter, a color, a number and a shape. 


This week we are learning about:
Color: Blue
Number: 1
Shape: Circle
Letter: A


These are some of the materials we are using:

It has been really great so far! She really enjoys looking at circles.  Generally I let her run her finger around it and repeat: Circle! It is amazing how many colors, shapes, letters and numbers you can find in your child’s every day toys when you begin looking! Or around the house anyway! 
Yesterday we went on a “Circle Hunt” before bed, and pointed out items in our house that were circular! We also always point out the Big “A” in her name on her wall above her changing table each time we change diapers!
I am not quite sure how much of this she is actually obtaining, but I have always heard that baby’s are little sponges, so it’s worth a shot…who knows! Maybe I will end up with a baby genius! 
What have other mommies done as far as teaching their babies at home? Would love some ideas!
<3 Kelly

I know I know…I am behind! But in case you were wondering…this is how the Mock’s celebrated Christmas:

Christmas Cards: Shutterfly

 On Christmas Eve Morning, Hallie and I headed over to my parents house to make Clam and Corn Chowder with my Dad for Christmas Day lunch! I have been helping him since I was teeny tiny every year! Seriously as long as I can remember! It is a Hofmann tradition! My Dad helped his Dad and so on! This year, Hallie got to help!

 After White Elephant we headed over to Christopher’s Dad’s house and celebrated with all of the Mock’s! We opened presents there and then went to Midnight Mass! Which was as always beautiful! (The parts I was awake for anyone…I did dose a few times! Oops!) 

Note the beautiful stocking made by my Mother in Law!

 Late morning we packed up and went to my parent’s house to open presents with them! And then to Christopher’s Dad’s again for a Christmas movie! 

 For dinner we went back over to my parent’s house! Christopher’s mom joined us there! 

Good morning and Happy Monday! So excited for my first edition of Must Have Monday in the new year (as for quite some time).
Now that Hallie is 6 months old (I still feel the tears welling up each time I make that realization!) I thought I would share some of our favorite products we’ve used in the last 3 months! 

 1. The Boppy– If you don’t remember, I wasn’t a breastfeeding Mom. I pumped and bottle fed, so this product was though at times useful, less relevant to us in the earlier months! Lately though it has been perfect! From tummy time to placing behind Hallie now while she is sitting it has been incredibly useful! We love this guy! 

 2. The Bumbo– This has been amazing for practicing sitting, but even more amazing for starting solids! I place Hallie in it every night at dinner time and she knows that she is about to get food! We still have yet to decide on a Highchair, but Hallie is so little still that this is working great! 

 3. Sophie the Giraffe- (and other teething toys) Lately the teething has really kicked into high gear! Hallie is constantly gnawing on  anything she can get her hands on! Sophie is perfect because it is soft enough to be gentle on her gums, but satisfies Hallie’s need to bite and chew! Perk…Sophie won’t get Hallie Hickeys like Mommy’s chin!

 4. Safety First Bibs– We got soooooo many cute cloth bibs! But a lot of them are short and only cover part of Hallie’s onesies and they stain and are a pain in the butt to treat! These are awesome! They just wipe clean! Confession…..sometimes I just throw them in the dishwasher! 

5.  Nuby Long Handle Spoons- 
These are so awesome because they are the perfect texture for Hallie and long enough to keep my hands away from the messy action! Plus they change color if the temperature of the food is too hot! 

6. Take and Toss bowls with lids- 
These were so so good when Hallie started eating oatmeal.  Sometimes she wouldn’t finish it, so we could just stick a lid on it and save it for later! We also use them when we make her baby food…which is rare lately! lol 







Hope this helps some of the new/soon to be moms! Expert Mommies…any products that you would recommend for our upcoming months? 

Really?! 6 months has really flown by (and I am posting this late, so it’s more like 6 months and 1 week and 1/2!) I seriously cannot believe it’s been that long! Then again it’s all been a blur and looking back at the same time:

This is Hallie doing her best Vanna White impression!

• Age- 6 months! (Really?!)
• Weight-  11 lb. 13 oz! The nurse had me so excited thinking we were on the curve finally…alas, she was wrong!
• Length- 25 1/4 inches! Still long and skinny
• Size- Size 1 Diapers! Onesies- 0-3 or 3 month!  Pants- 3 month! PJs 0-3 or 3 month mostly! Sometimes I will let her wear the 6 month ones (mainly because we got a bunch of new ones for Christmas) but they are still a tad to big, but it’s okay, PJs are supposed to be big, right! Plus, the length on the 3’s are just right, so pretty soon, we will be busting out of those! 
• Eyes- Still blue! Yay!!! 
• Hair- Light brown! And finally starting to grow back some!
• Sleeping- 10-12 hour stretches at night! (Generally 7pm to 6 or 7 am) Usually takes 3 small naps during the day! 
• Eating- We just in the last few days moved up to 26 oz a day divided into 5 feedings a day! She has also started solids so far we LOVE: Oatmeal Strawberries, Lemon, Carrots and Green Beans LIKE: Apples and Pears and HATE: Peaches!
• Milestones- Rolls both ways…everywhere! Is still scooting, but getting so close to crawling! We are even rocking back and forth on our knees now! Sitting with no help!! She is now VERY good at it since Christmas! Loves to stand and will even try and hold herself up on the ottoman, and pull herself up to standing when you are holding her, which is her new favorite thing to do!! She pretty much only wants to be held so she can use you as leverage to stand! lol Still babbling a ton! Still drooling and teething! Loves to shove anything in her mouth! In fact, the day after Christmas my chin became a new teething ring and I am embarrassed to say that she left a hickey…nice I know! 
•  Memorable outings- Mock Family Christmas, meeting SANTA, Houston Children’s museum with Aiden and Easton, Playgroup! (Not outings, but celebrating Christmas and New Years!) 
• Favorite toys/activities- Still loves ceiling fans and mirrors! Loves her turtle which we have named Dewy! The Taggie elephant and princess dolly she got for Christmas are her new favorites! Also: Puppets and loves books! A girl after my own heart! We read before bed every night! She got a Children’s Bible for her Baptism, and we always do that before bed with a prayer. Also loves the rhymes we do at story time! Particularly (Tick Tock,Horse named Ron and Patty Cake!) Loves to play with Stella.  DANCING! She loves to shake it! Especially with Daddy! She also really enjoys listening to music and oh…did I mention standing? Girl can even walk while holding your hands…as long as she isn’t on tile!

• Words/sounds- Imitating sounds a little. Has started saying “Ooh Ooh” to herself usually in the mirror or sometimes to her BFF the ceiling fan and I swear she tries to say: Hey, Mom and Dad..but I am probably crazy 
• Nicknames- I call her sweet pea, peanut, peanut butter, sweet girl or Hal…Daddy likes to call her Daniel son when I put headbands on her…but other than that sticks to a generic sweetie or cutie!
• Funny moments- The post Christmas Hickey and oh pretty much every day with this kid! She loves to laugh! 
• Looking forward to- savoring each and every moment these next 6 months! Please God, please, let them not fly by!

Please excuse the radio silence and crickets! We were sooo sooo busy celebrating the holidays with our loved ones that I decided to put blogging on the back burner! But now with the New Year started (HAPPY 2015, by the way!!!) I am ready to get back on track! A lot has happened, so between my next few posts I will catch you up on Christmas, New Years and Hallie turning 6 months old (How did that happen!!!?) 


For now I will start with New Years! 
We celebrated saying goodbye to the best year of our lives in a baby friendly way! Chinese food, netflix, and noise makers! Hallie and I fell asleep well before the ball dropped in NYC! 

PJs Gymboree

Daddy woke us up about 11:45 with champagne glasses ready! We rang in the new year and then all went to bed! I know, so exciting! 

But I do have a few resolutions:


1.) Lose the rest of my baby weight before summer! I am not going to be a one piece bathing suit Mom, I am going to rock my old bikinis this Summer! So here we go…I am writing it down, so it has to happen. Bloggerworld, please hold me accountable! The workout routine starts next week, and I have a lot of toning and at least 10 lbs to lose!


2.) Try harder to keep the house clean and orderly..this one is hard! Hallie and I are on the go so much and at night I am soooo exhausted that I just let it go! Mainly there is always a pile of laundry at the foot of our bed that never gets folded! My goal is to try and tackle one room a day and at least always have the living room and kitchen clean before bed each night….we’ll see how that one goes!


3.) Be a happier and more positive me. 


So as I said…please help keep me accountable friends and fellow bloggers! 


I hope everyone had a safe and fun NYE and I hope that you all enjoy a relaxing and fun New Years Day! I am making a big pot of my Black Eyed Pea Soup to celebrate on this chilly day in Big D! 


<3 Kelly 

I’m Baaaack! And just in time for week 4 of the Christmas Countdown! Can you believe Christmas is a week away! I still have soooo much to do!


Today is my annual Father Daughter ( and this year, Granddaughter) shopping and Chinese food trip with my Dad! Every year we pick a day to eat some delicious Chinese food and get all the shopping done for my Mom! We have been doing it since I was a little girl! So fun!


Tomorrow my sister and cousins and I will continue our annual Gingerbread Cookie making! I seriously have the BEST recipe! Here are some cookies from past years:

Her pretty party dress

 We discovered she likes horses…a lot!

 Hallie with Santa! 

 Yesterday we had our last playgroup before Christmas! Hallie had fun playing with her friends and make a cute ornament for our tree:

Things are getting mighty Christmasy around here! I am making my lists and checking them twice! I am buying and wrapping presents, finishing up the decorating and addressing Christmas cards like a mad woman!


Here are our recent pictures of all things Christmas!


        1. The Mantle is finished for the exception of our family stockings, my sweet mother in law has been hand making them for us! I am one lucky lady!

Dear Stella,
My first baby! My spoiled with attention fur baby that used to get to ride everywhere with me in the car.  Who used to get my only cuddles.  Who used to get more trips to the park.  Who got fancy doggie treats and toys on a regular basis, even though we knew the toys would be torn to shreds within days, sometimes minutes! Thank you for being such a good girl and adapting so well to the new addition to our family! Hallie loves you so much and enjoys watching you play.  She loves to pet you (sometimes not so gently) and you do such a good job staying calm when she tugs a little hard, because you know she is smaller than you, and it’s your job to protect her! Thank you for understanding that she is little, and sometimes, yes most times, she needs our attention first! You are such a good big sister! I have to say I was nervous bringing Hallie home.  I wasn’t sure what you would think of her.  I was scared that you wouldn’t be gentle.  But it warms my heart to know that you love her as much as you love us! It makes me so happy when I walk into her room in the middle of the night to check on her and see you already next to her crib keeping watch.  And when she starts to cry, sometimes you get to her before I do, because you care so much! 
We love you puppy girl! You will always and forever be special to me!
Love, your Momma!