menu
  • Home
  • about
    • about me
    • faqs
    • contact
  • topics
    • travel
    • pregnancy
    • fitness
    • recipes
    • kids
    • for the home
    • mom life
    • parties
  • popular
  • search
Mr. and Mrs. Powell
menu
  • Home
  • about
    • about me
    • faqs
    • contact
    • topics
      • travel
      • pregnancy
      • fitness
      • recipes
      • kids
      • for the home
      • mom life
      • parties
  • popular
  • search
As of today, I officially have an 8 month old.
Oh my goodness little one you grow wayy too fast!!!

If you follow me on IG you will know that we took a little road trip this weekend for Ryan to meet his great grandma & grandpa Powell for the first time! YAY!
 We told Ryan it was his 8 month birthday so he gave us a fist pump for the picture.
Good job little one.
I think generation pictures are the coolest things ever, so we had to get one.
4 generations of Powell boys.
(Good thing we had a boy because my husband is the last male Powell and the name would have ceased to exist which is just terrible)
Ryan just wants to show you his new car-seat in the next picture.
I will be the first to tell you that that thing is a beast.
Check out those head pads. What the heck he is like sitting first class these days.
It's huge!

After a 5.5 hour drive home we celebrated at Ry's favorite place on earth.
He loves swings more than anything.
He is afraid of nothing and goes higher than I do... But seriously.

And for a few facts....RYAN At the ripe age of 8 months:

Has two naps a day and sleeps from about 8:30 PM to 7:30 AM. He is a little rockstar.
He is a champ when it comes to food.
I breastfeed 4 times a day and he eats baby food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
He will eat 2 full containers of baby food (one veggie and one fruit) for both lunch and dinner
and eats oatmeal for breakfast.
The only food he spits back out at me are peaches..who knows why. They do smell funny though so I don't blame him.
He might not be excited about the other foods (like green beans) but he eats them.
He would rather play with a wipe container than his actual toy.
He loves DVD's for some reason and he is just a happy little camper if he can hold one.
Especially that Kung Fu Panda DVD.
Have I mentioned that he's the happiest baby ever?
Well he is.. and he has probably spoiled Aaron and I because it will be a shock to our system if our future babies are really fussy.
Of course he has his days where he wants to be held 99.9 percent of the time but I'm ok with that and for the most part he is the most easy going happy baby.
He goes toward all things daddy.
He loves his daddy.
(OH WAIT.. Check out his head. 
He still rocks a pretty good size bald spot on the back of his head with a little mullet.
It's growing in fast these days though and it makes me sad because that means he's growing up!)
He figured out how to splash in his bath which brings a whole new meaning to bath time.
He blows lots of bubbles but has no sign of any teeth.
Aaron and I both didn't get teeth until we were almost 1 so I guess he is just following in our footsteps.
Like parents like baby.
When in doubt give Ryan Mr. Turtle or his beloved ball.
He will give you that face almost every time.
A couple things about this picture.
Please admire how beautiful the trees are these days. It's so green!! Oh my gosh I love spring.
and the second thing- He doesn't look like it in this picture but he loves his BOB and we go on walks every single day without fail.

He giggles at everything.
It doesn't take a lot for this one to get laughing really hard.
It's the cutest giggle ever and I seriously could just eat him up.
He is my little world and I feel so blessed to be his mommy.
Happy 8 months little one! xoxoIG
Eating out is at the center of America's obesity epidemic.
The portions sizes, fried food, and drinks are causing weight to skyrocket.

That being said, going out to eat is one of my favorite things in the world!
I look forward to it every week!
However, healthy eating is a lifestyle. 
I have learned how to eat and what to put into my body to maintain that healthy lifestyle even when eating out.

This does not mean you can't splurge now and then!
Where is the fun in eating out if you can't get your favorite thing on the menu!? (aka pizza and chips and salsa)
Life is to be enjoyed!

Here are some tips that work for me when going out to eat to keep it semi- healthy:)

1. Always ask to put dressing and spreads on the side.
This is totally a post for another day because I have a lot to say on this but BEWARE of certain salads ladies! Because of the dressing certain salads are like disguised Big Macs.

Caesar salads are terrible. (and I love caesar dressing!!)
Some caesar salads have twice the amount of fat of a big cheeseburger.
You think you are doing your body a favor by ordering salad but you might as well be ordering a burger and fries.
I won't even go into my beloved Cafe Rio Salad dressing.:(

As for sandwiches I worked at a popular lunch cafe and trust me, some of the sandwiches have up to 40 grams of fat just because of spreads!
Moral of the story, ask for sauce on the side.
That way you can control how much you put on.

Also, always ask about their lighter dressing or spread options for salads and sandwiches!
Every restaurant will usually have a secret lighter option!

2. Drink Water
This is a simple one and I know I have mentioned this before but I am not a soda drinker.
There is the occasional time where my husband and I will go out for pizza and I will sip his root-beer but we usually just stick with water.
It's cheeper AND you don't drink your calories away.

3. Ask for no butter on the bun.
I LOVE sandwiches and paninis!
They are my thing!
However, MOST places put butter on your bread!- (something else I learned while working at "this" lunch cafe)
I know a lot of fast food restaurants load butter on their burger buns also. (if you are a burger lover)
It's not something you would think to say but
to save from some fat and calories I always say NO BUTTER ON THE BUN, regardless of if I know it comes with it or not.

4. Make sure it's grilled and not breaded or fried.
There are A LOT of fancy ways to say something is fried or breaded without actually saying it.
I always ask it the meat or seafood is grilled.

If I am at an Italian restaurant and I find a pasta on the menu I love but it is with breaded chicken, I just ask to substitute it with grilled chicken.
They will make it exactly how you want it!

5. Ask about different side choices.
Most restaurants have fruit or a side salad as a side option rather than french fries!
Sometimes it's just not listed on the menu.
For example at that "popular lunch cafe" I worked at, every sandwich came with potato chips but we had Baked Lays as an option, they were just not listed on the menu.

6. Control your eating portions.
This is also a post for another day because there is a lot to talk about but somehow America has turned one serving size equal to 10 serving sizes!
Like Cheesecake Factory- my husband and I's favorite restaurant ever-
Have you seen some of their portion sizes!?!?!?!
Split something, or limit yourself to half of it and take it home for later.
There has been one too many dates nights I come home and feel like I ate a horse.

Please don't think I am some crazy person and don't enjoy my food when I go out!
Trust me, food is the apple to my eye and I can put down a serious dish of food!
Hence why I workout so I can eat what I feel like eating!
These are just ways to make it healthier and still feel well at the end of the night rather than feeling like you ate your night away! :)


Happy Friday from me and my little sidekick!

I have gotten several emails asking specific questions (I love reading your emails so thank you!) 
so I'm going to start this question thing at the end of certain posts relating to the topic.
 Please answer them (a couple of them or all of them!)- I LOVE reading your comments & it will help me for future posts to know how to address certain topics!:) As always thank you for reading! xoxoxo

*What's your favorite restaurant??
UMMM I love everything so that's hard but probably Cheesecake Factory (not for the cheesecake- just the food ha) and BRIO or P.F. Changs (ok yeah i'm terrible at choosing. I love all food!)

*Are you a soda drinker?? If so, what's your favorite kind?

*If you could "splurge" on anything food wise what would it be??
Um cheese PIZZA haha

*How many times a week do you eat out??
Usually 2-3 times. One sometimes 2 of those being dinner on the weekends.:)
You know your a mom when you find yourself humming "Wheels on the bus" while you are cleaning.
My purse has become the diaper bag.
I now find more joy in shopping at 'Janie and Jack' than shopping for myself.
ANNDD I care more about how my baby looks leaving the house than what I look like.

I was at the grocery store today walking down the cereal isle (what else is new), 
Ryan was giggling, I was playing peek-a-boo with him.
And all of the sudden it hit me!
I realized I wasn't stressed! I was so comfortable.
I wasn't stressed about getting back in time for his feeding,
or worried that he was going to scream in the store,
or have a blowout.
It all just felt natural.
I actually took my time and enjoyed it!
Hundreds of diapers, feedings and kisses later-
It only took 7.6 months to feel this way.
(proud moment in my life)

I had always heard the phrase,
"you will never understand a mother's love for her child until you experience it".
I can tell you that this is a million and 2 percent true.

I would do anything ANYTHING for this little boy. 


"You'll be his first kiss,
his first love,
his first friend.
You are his momma
and he is your whole world.

He is your little boy."

There is nothing more rewarding.
Couldn't ask for a better calling in life.
Ryan had his very first play date with sweet little Aviana!
I came across Aviana's beautiful mommy Marissa on her Instagram and fell in love with her gorgeous baby girl seeing that she was so close in age with Ryan.

I then found her darling Blog and made the connection that she lived in Houston!
Little did I know how much more similar we would be!
Her baby is just 2 months older than Ryan and is seriously a doll.
Marissa and I instantly clicked (we are secretly twin sisters that just discovered one another existed) and Ryan was loving sweet Avi just wanting to hold her hand.
Turns out we were meant to be great friends.
Marissa is just as gorgeous on the inside as she is on the out!
And her baby is seriously a doll. I couldn't get enough of these two together!

You can find her HERE on Instagram.
and follow her darling blog HERE.

Many play dates to come for these two.
Ryan and I had a perfect afternoon.
Happy first play date little ones!


My darling family came to Houston for a week!
Baby was so spoiled!
He was center of attention 24/7 just the way he likes it.

We are really lucky because my in-laws and parents are like best friends so we are all like family.
My siblings stayed at my in-laws and my mother-in-law just spoiled them like no other.


My parents were in heaven with the babes and 
Ryan has the cutest Grandmas in the world!
 
My two favorite ladies on earth right here.
Good thing we live by the one on the left because when we moved to Texas I didn't know how I was going to survive without the one on the right.

We did a lot of what we do best: SHOPPING. And my sister and I thought it was cool to try on all the same outfits.
We fell in love with that swimsuit and convinced our mom that we both needed the same one.
I'm the worst bowler on the planet but in this picture I look like I know what I'm doing.:)


We headed to San Antonio for the weekend, my family had never been.
We stayed at the most beautiful resort and hit up all the main attractions.

The gorgeous River Walk.
The boys golfed, and the girls shopped.

We took baby to meet Shamu!
Baby's first day at Sea World and he was so excited.


Sunday came and I was so sad to say goodbye!
Utah is way too far away.
It's weeks like these you wish could never end!
Miss you already!
xoxo
Newer Posts Older Posts Home

Hello Image
Hello!! We are the Powell family - Aaron, Karina, Ryan, and Luke; but let's be honest, you will mostly just hear from me. We are lovers of all things fitness, traveling, and thin crust pizza. You can read more about us here.

@kmpowell

Popular

  • Sometimes life really hurts.
  • A LIPSENSE GIVEAWAY!
  • 30 weeks!!!!
  • Ryan's Birth Story

Topics

  • Family
  • Fitness
  • For the Home
  • Holidays
  • Kids
  • Mom Life
  • Parties
  • Pregnancy
  • Recipes
  • Travel

Search

LipSense Distributor

LipSense Distributor

Janie and Jack Sale on Now

Crazy 8 Sale On Now!
  • Home
  • about me
  • faqs
  • contact

© Mr. and Mrs. Powell

miss audrey sue