Swimming Cutie

Nate was sooooooooooooooooooooo excited to get the pool out this past weekend. We got smart and put it on the deck and it made for a much more pleasant, non-grass, experience. He must have gotten in and out 5 different times. Thankfully he can put on / take off his own clothes. Although by the end, I think he deemed underwear an optional article of clothing.

He begged for me to put my swimsuit on, but I declined. I told him the closest I could get was a pair of running shorts & top. It seemed to satisfy him, for now. Looking forward to many more pool days!

Sarah's Bachelorette Party

I attended the pre-dinner for Sarah's bachelorette party last weekend. There wasn't much point to me hitting the bars afterwards :) And on a side note, when I was pregnant with Nate, the whole not drinking thing was a novelty. This time, not so much. Let's just say I'll be happy to be reunited with my South Dakota martinis.

Sarah wasn't too sure about the "gifts" some of her friends brought her. I went the "don't want to be involved because you are marrying my brother" route and got her a gift certificate.

She did warm up to the idea of the boa, but I don't think the blinking light sash was long for the world!

Friday = Great Day

I'm having trouble finding tons of time to blog lately. I mean, I am busy, but when I have free time (and thanks to Scott, I have more than I deserve :), I am laying in my bed resting, or taking a relaxing bath. I guess you could say I'm pulling the pregnancy card. But I feel some of my energy returning, so time to catch up on a few happenings.

Last Friday, Nate and I had a great day. We didn't have any obligations so I decided that after our routine Target trip, we would head out to Chesterfield to go to Chick-fil-A. Yes, we live in a major metropolis area and have to drive 25 minutes to the nearest Chick-fil-A. Tragedy. But it is worth it.


After lunch, nap, and a much needed haircut (see above), we went to Member's Appreciation Day at the Zoo. We got to attend a free sea lion show. We've only been to one other show when we first moved to STL so it was real treat for Nate. Deep in thought about the difference between a sea lion and a seal. Do you know????

It was a great day - my goal for the months ahead are to make the most of every Friday and leave the grocery trips for another time.

Thankful

I think most of my blog followers have already heard our big news, but I wanted to make it official. We are very happy to announce that our family of 3 will become 4 in late November this year. Scott & I will become the parents of 2 children and Nate will become a big brother. We are so excited and a little overwhelmed, but mostly thankful, very thankful for this blessing.

Nate has taken the news very well and is proud to assume his new role. He frequently tells me how happy he is that we are having a baby and pats or kisses my stomach whenever he has a chance. Of course, we will have a period of adjustment when the new person arrives, but I think we will be able to bridge some of gap just by the fact that Nate can be so helpful. I am thankful that he has taken all of this in stride and acts as if this is a natural step for all of us to take.

This photo was taken weeks ago, but it is the only one I have of our little one. And thankfully I'm a "regular" patient, so that means no more ultrasounds until approximately 20 weeks for the BIG one. Yes, we will find out with "it" is...and yes, we will share the news with you. No, we will not share the little one's name until "it" makes his/her debut (sorry Amanda!)

I went to the doctor this week and heard little one's heartbeat. Very sweet and re-assuring. Doctor said everything looks and sounds normal. For that I am extremely thankful.

Recipes

I always hesitate to put recipes on my blog because I'm not sure how many readers would actually be interested. But these are 2 recent winners that I could not help but share. I try recipes based on the following criteria:

1. Does it require a special pan/tool/technique? Answer needs to be NO.
2. Number / Ease of Ingredients...Answer needs to be low to medium number and easy.
3. Can you find the ingredients at Schnucks without having to ask someone? Answer needs to be YES.

So here are 2 of my recent finds, my substitutions included.

Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu

(www.allrecipes.com 2010)

• Boneless chicken breasts (I used only 2 for our family)
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup milk
• ham slices
• swiss cheese slices (I used mozarella because Scott doesn't like swiss)
• 1 8oz package of herbed dry bread stuffing mix (I used bread crumbs for a lighter taste)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix together cream of chicken soup and milk in small bowl. Pour enough of the soup into the slow cooker to cover the bottom. Layer chicken breasts over the sauce. Cover with slices of ham and then cheese. Pour remaining soup over the layers, stirring a little to distribute between layers. Sprinkle the stuffing on trop, and drizzle butter over the stuffing. Cover, cook on Low for 4-6 hours or 2-3 hours on High.

And for all of you who got caught up in the Bread Maker craze...like me...

Pit-Stop Stromboli

(Best of Taste of Home, 2010 Special Collectors Edition, Amber Kimmich)

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons warm milk
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 2 slices mozzarella cheese, cut into strips
• 2 slices Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, cut into strips
• 2 slices provolone cheese (cut into strips)
• 28 slices pepperoni (I've also used salami and it is good too)

1. In bread machine pan, place the first 7 ingredients in order. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1-2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed - I usually have to)

2. When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 16 x 10 rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap; let rest for 10 minutes.

3. Arrange cheese strips and pepperoni evenly over the dough to within 1/2 in of edges. Roll up jelly roll style starting with long side; pinch seam to seal and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until cheese is bubbly!

Enjoy!

What Did You Do on Mother's Day?

Well, after driving back from a quick trip to Charleston for Hamil & Sarah's Crawfish Boil, I laid in bed, watched TV, and was joined by this sweet little boy.

Truth be told, I also unpacked bags, went to the grocery store, washed-dried-folded-put away laundry, laid out clothes for Monday, and put a worn out boy to bed without dinner or a bath (because he fell asleep on the couch before dinner and refused to wake up to do either...) All while feeling a little bit guilty that I was working on "Mother's Day." I mean wasn't I supposed to be relaxing????

Well, that's what makes mothers so amazing. I know that's what makes my own mother and mother-in-law so amazing. Sometimes you just gotta do what you just gotta do. And it kinda made me feel good to be doing these things when I could've gotten away with not doing them for a day...I was always kind of an overachiever...Working for my family feels good every day, even if it was Mother's Day.

So thank you to all the moms that work hard for their families - you do deserve to relax! It's just in my case, it's hard to make a whole day of it :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Hamil & Sarah's Engagement Party

Hamil & Sarah's sweet friends hosted an engagement party for them last weekend. It was a crawfish boil and although I did not take part in the eating, it was a great party! I think they had 97 pounds of crawfish and there wasn't much left...the hosts must have a great recipe!

Chowing down with Sarah's brother Ryan (standing next to Sarah)

Sarah's mom in the pink jacket and her sweet grandmother standing next to her...I don't think they were exactly sure about the crawfish, but they ate them and enjoyed!

The happy couple - it was a beautiful day and we are so proud of both of them!

Congrats to Hamil & Sarah! I love you!

A Visit Down South

We headed south for a few days to spend some quality time with the Boyles and Odoms. We had a wonderful time and were sad to come home! Lots of fun, lots of memories...starting with Scott's trip down memory lane with all of his old legos (which we packed up and brought home...I had a moment of weakness). I would say that I didn't know who was more excited, but I do. Take your guesses.

Lots of fun activities in GA this weekend...we picnicked.

We swang...

We bounced while watching the Gwinnett Braves play baseball...so I didn't do much watching. I left my glasses at home, so when the sun went down, there wasn't much seeing for me. :)

We made several attempts at getting good pictures of the 3 boys...my SIL Amanda has the really good ones which I will post when I get them off Scott's computer. As you can imagine, it was GREAT fun for all...not so much.

Mimi & her boys...

On Thursday when we were flying down to ATL, Nate just happened to be looking at the emergency instruction card when the flight attendants started going over the rules. He followed along very closely. He loves him some circles with a line through them telling you what NOT to do...forever asking what they mean everywhere we go.

Anyway, on the way back yesterday when the announcement came on that they were getting ready to go over the rules, he quickly scrambled for the instruction card, pulled it out, and followed along intently.

My little rule follower...wonder where he gets that??

He was such a joy in the airports and on the plane and it makes me realize how grown up he is now. I think Scott and I carried on an adult conversation with each other on both flights. My how times have changed!