Recipes

I love to cook. I take comfort in making a really good meal, or a fresh loaf of bread or scones. I find that through cooking, I'm able to just relax and enjoy the process of creating something. I'm obsessed with allrecipes.com and a couple of great cook books I've collected over the years.

Something I've always enjoyed are cooking blogs. There are quite a few that I've browsed over the years and have even taken recipes from. I have no intention of transforming this blog into that or creating a separate blog about cooking but I do want to try to feature some things that I've found and made for you the reader to perhaps enjoy. So, here are a few of my all time favorites:

1. Guava Bars. I recently found this recipe and must warn you that it's not possible to eat just one.
2. CPK's Chicken Tequila Fettucinni. The picture on this site doesn't due this justice. If you've eaten this at CPK, it's the closest I've found to the real thing...and it's amazing!
3. Grilled Steak and Pasta Salad. This is a great summer pasta salad.

I really could go on and on, but I won't. I'll save some for next time.

Potty Training

I promised my dad that I would never discuss my children's bathroom habits on social networking sites. So this is me not discussing it....

There are certain things I've come to find as a young parent that I was not properly warned or trained for. I stand by the adage that if you wait until your ready/prepared to have kids, you'll never end up having them. That being said, I sometimes wish there had been a bit more prep. in some situations.

Exhibit A: Nursing is hard. Everyone makes it out to be this amazing experience that connects mom and baby. You're told that other than it being the healthiest thing for baby, it makes you feel like a much better mom. This sounds great, right? Sure, if you don't mind being sleep deprived, sore, inconvenienced and self conscious. Don't get me wrong, I nursed B for a full year and am still at it with R after almost 6 months, but can I just tell you how nice it will be when December rolls around and my body isn't either being taken over by a developing fetus or needed for dairy products! I mean I've seriously been pregnant and/or or nursing for almost 3 years straight.

Exhibit B. Sleep training. Now with B it was no big deal because despite the fact that she was an amazing sleeper, there was no one else around for her screams to bother. Now mind you, we live in a fairly small home and R doesn't technically have his own room. So at 3am when I should be letting him cry out, I instead feed him just to get him to go back asleep. We usually repeat this around 6am. UGHHHH! I've been advised by pretty much everyone that it's probably time to start putting cereal in a bottle for him before he goes to sleep at night but my stubbornness just isn't ready to cave....If I can make it to 6 months, than I feel like I've accomplished something. Sad, I know.

And Finally, Exhibit C. B used the "potty" once, I freaked out, gave her a treat and got her on the phone with pretty much every family member so she could tell them. That was 3 weeks ago. Enough said.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a fun weekend. Saturday we pretty much hung out around the house being as lazy as possible. No painting, drywalling, gardening. Just laziness. It was pretty great.

Sunday we walked to mass. Came home, gave the kids naps, woke up for lunch than packed up the car and headed to Forest Park for our first family bike ride. It started out great...clearly

However, it ended in tears for 50% of the trailers occupants. Unfortuanately it ended up being nap time for R and because the seats don't recline, he turned into a not so happy camper as we rode. Thanfully we were able to stop, take a break and let B play in the playground fountain. Being part fish, it was just what she needed on a hot day.

Monday, the kids and I got dressed and headed out the door to my cousins daughters 4th birthday party. there was cake and games and waterballoons. They played the three legged race which ended up being hillarious. Most of the kids were between 4-8 years old. Because B was so much smaller than all the others, they had to improvise in order to include her.

Anyways, while we partied, Carlos went out to play golf with a highschool friend. Now understand he's never played golf and never shown any interest in it....Low and Behold, he. loved. it.! He wants to get his own set of clubs and play regularly. He's going again this weekend. I may even join him. (I secretly think he liked getting to drive a golf cart and drink beer at the same time a little more than the actual sport itself) ;)

"hi bebe"

People are constantly asking me how B is with R. I usually give them a brief explanation of how she's very sweet, and loving, and doesn't seem to show to many problems with jealousy.


This does a much better job though...

What you've missed since October

Halloween

This kid was born on Dec. 16th via c-section weighing 8.9lb

Christmas happened 9 days later

B was introduced to Art Hill

I turned 27...

St. Patricks Day

B turned 2

Easter

Uncle Bobo came to town

And Lots of Family Time

Amazing

Sometimes I am truly amazed at how simple it is for my 18 month old to entertain herself. Or how great she thinks some truly mundane activites are. I mean I know that her attention span is like that of a, well, an 18 month old, but seriously. This kid thinks playing fetch with the dog is Gods personal gift to her.


Bits loves to stand infront of our digital picture frame and just watch the loop of 25 pictures over and over again. And everyone once in awhile she gets this expression like "wow".... like she's never seen such a great picture before.


It's the little things that she appreciates. Like cuddling with the dogs, or trying to. Like climbing up into our window seat and staring forever outside at the leaves, trees, grass, etc. She doesn't watch tv. After 10 min. she's ready to move on. I love this about her. I love that she would rather puts blocks into a bucket, dump and repeat 37 times than vedge out infront of "Dora la Exploradora".


I'm sure the day will come when playing on the floor with mom is just not as cool as it is now. But meanwhile, I'm going enjoy it.


*Wait, did I say playing on the floor? Sorry, I meant her playing on the floor with me on the couch watching. Because lets be honest, at this point if I tried to get down on the floor Lord only knows how long it would take me to get back up.*

Latest word: "Punkin"

Collect Call

*Ring Ring*

Person 1: "Hello"

Operator: "You have a collect call from"

Person 2: "Havingababyitsaboy"

................