Richwood Fair 2010

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to go to the fair. Sadly, I haven't been in years. I always want to go, and we never end up making it. This year, I was determined to change that and go, with or without the hubs... So, to my surprise, the inlaws mentioned the Richwood Fair one afternoon while we were visiting, and I wasn't going to let it pass us by! Where is Richwood? you ask?... yea... no surprise there. It's a tiny little farming town north of Columbus. But, this fair was going to be perfect for my kiddos. Not too busy, small enough to let them run around and not have to worry about them getting lost, but big enough to know that there will be aaaallll the fair food! (which, by the way, Pea did not eat one bite of any of the fried, sugary goodness we put in front of her. silly Pea.)

We spent most of the time looking at the animals in all the 4-h barns, we watched some pole/barrel racing, then made our way to the rides and food. It was a perfect afternoon at the fair. The kids loved it, and tons of wonderful memories were made.

Grunt

Today, my baby boy turns 1. After a rough start, and an amazing journey, he is no longer a baby. He walks and talks and is all toddler. On one hand, with another one on the way, I'm glad that he's getting big and will be more independent, but on the other hand, I will miss my snuggly sweet baby. One day soon, I will write both of my kids' birth stories... preferably before I forget, lol. But, for now, I want to say Happy Birthday to my 'Thias. He has brough so much joy and laughter into our home. More than I ever thought possible. He is a gift from God. He has taught me to be a better mother and helped me be a better wife. I love you, my 'Thias. I love watching you grow up, you are such a blessing to everyone you meet!

Mealtime Mondays

I might be getting used to actually doing menu time on Mondays! Here we go:

Monday- Brinner- Omlets or scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon.

Tuesday- Turkey Tetrazzini

Wednesday- Sloppy Joe's and Tater Tots

Thursday- Steak and Sweet Potatoes

Friday- Bratwurst and Sauerkraut

Saturday- Sun Dried Tomato Marinated Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta

Sunday- Leftovers or Burritos

Recipe of the Week- Turkey Tetrazzini

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked spaghetti
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 2/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
4 cups chopped cooked turkey

Directions:
1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain, then place in greased baking dish .
2.Melt butter in saucepan, then mix in flour. slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Cook and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Stir in about 1 1/3 cups Parmesan cheese, and remove from heat.
3.Mix chicken broth mixture and turkey, then spread over spaghetti. Top with remaining cheese.
4. Bake 1 hour at 350, until lightly browned.

Funny, Ha. Ha.

When we made the decision to move back to Ohio from Tennessee, the main reason was to be near family. For the first year or so of being back in Columbus, we didn't really see more of our family (besides living with my parents until our house was finished.). But, lately, we have been blessed with visits from family constantly. My kids will have wonderful memories of playing with their cousins (at the moment they are outside having a nerf war.... without ammo- not sure how that's working for them ;).) They will know their aunt/uncle/grandparents- and not just the holiday-knowing. And I hope that as they grow they develop a feeling of belonging and identity within our family. My sister and I have gone through some "out of touch times" (which sisters haven't?) and I've missed her terribly... but now I see her almost daily. It's so great to have my best friend back. It is an amazing blessing to be around my family!
Anyway, onto the funny, haha moment today. While out at cici's pizza with my niece and 2 of my nephews. (The other one is at homecoming... can't believe he's big enough to go! I changed his diapers for pete's sake! Geesh, how old does that make me??) While out, Nathaniel commented that we looked funny having 5 kids for our age. I said, "Well, really, there are 6." Swimmerdude (my middle nephew) said, "6? How do you get 6?" So, I reminded him that I have to take care of the baby inside too. He laughed and said, "Oh! I thought you were talking about Nathaniel... that he was the 6th kid. Oh, guess he makes it 7."
LOL... Such a smart dude. Why is it that the oldest of the bunch still needs as much caring for as the youngest? I'm just glad and blessed that my family needs me... even the grown one :).

Grunt's Bday Party, Part 1

This past weekend, we were able to celebrate my tiny baby boy turning 1! I know, he's not tiny... hasn't been tiny in a LONG time. But, I still see him at a week old, sleeping in my arms, all squishy and tiny. I remember when we were worried about him growing, and why he was constantly sick. I remember holding him on my chest right after he was born and thanking God for him. I remember his first smile, the first time he sat up, crawled, ate real food, jabbered... and now, I look at him, and he is so big! He walks, runs, talks, is trying to jump, and has almost no resemblance to that tiny, squishy baby in my memory. He is all toddler boy. I can't believe it went so fast. God has blessed me so much through His gift of my two babies, both in different ways, and I thank Him daily for my wonderful family. Here are some pictures of the birthday boy, our family, and friends as we celebrated Grunt this past weekend.

Mealtime Mondays!

Actually on a Monday this week! Thanks to my Dad and Uncle, my computer is now (kinda) fixed... and I can actually blog! YAY! So, thanks to them for letting me borrow a nice 22" flat screen monitor to view my computer on since my screen is gone forever. :)
Here's the plan!

Monday- Since we had Grunt's bday party yesterday (one of them) we are left with an abundance of hamburgers. Sadly, all of the hotdogs are gone, otherwise we would be having beenies and weenies... yum! But, we are left with a bunch of burgers and no desire to eat another hamburger. So, it's either Hamburger Goulash, Salisbury Steak, or Hamburger Stroganoff. I should really figure it out soon, since it's already 11 on Monday morning. I'll update it when I figure out what we're having :)

Tuesday- Chipotle Beef Burritos

Wednesday- Taco Bar

Thursday- Marinated Chicken with grilled veggies

Friday- Date Night (Thanks to our good friend Jara!)

Saturday- Lunch- Leftovers or soup and grilled cheese
Dinner- Mandarin Orange Chicken with Egg Rolls

Sunday- Mathias's birthday with the hubby's side of the family- Pasta Bar

Recipe of the week: Mandarin Orange Chicken with Egg Rolls
Directions:
1. Put on clothes and shoes.
2. Get in car, turn car on, and drive to Trader Joe's.
3. Pick up a couple bags of Mandarin Orange Chicken.
4. Pick up a bag of Egg Rolls.
5. Proceed to check-out and pay for your food.
6. Drive home
7. Cook according to package directions
8. Eat and Enjoy!!!
This is seriously the best packaged/semi-good for you chinese food that we have ever had. It rivals take-out and soooo much cheaper!

Apple Picking 2010

For the second year in a row, we went to Fruitful Acres in Marysville to go apple picking! Last year, we went picking about a week before Grunt was born... and oooooohhhhhh was it interesting. Not only just doing the whole picking 40 lbs of apples, but dealing with those apples once we got home. This year, once again, we're pregnant :) but it was much more enjoyable. We picked about 80 lbs of apples- Jonathon, Macintosh, and Gala were our picks for the day, but they had many other varieties available. Pea loved picking with her "Pa", and Grunt ate his body weight in apples. It was a great day!!! Here are some pics of our adventure.

mealtime monday!

Once again, on a Tuesday... oh well. Here's the plan!

Monday- Pampered Chef Party... Mexican food :)

Tuesday- Crispy Yogurt Chicken (totally stole this from a friend!) with cucumber salad

Wednesday- Pizza with Small Group

Thursday- Bratwurst and Sauerkraut

Friday- Leftovers or Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches with Celery and Blue Cheese

Saturday- Crew Game Date Night with the Hubs

Sunday- Grunt's 1 year birthday party :) Cookout with friends and family.

Recipe of the week
Go here for the recipe for Crispy Yogurt Chicken.

1/3 of the way done!

I can't believe that we are already 1/3 of the way done cooking baby #3! Today, I am 13 weeks 4 days... and soooo happy to be out of the first trimester. So far, it's been a typical pregnancy. Some nausea, light-headedness, exhaustion, and my brain is COMPLETELY gone. SOOO much worse than the previous pregnancies. I mean, honestly, I can barely put a sentence together. No weight gain, so that's good- I lost about 5 lbs since finding out that we were expecting, and I'm glad that I've been able to keep that off.  I thought I was going to be HUGE at the beginning, my pants stopped fitting and everything was tight, but all of a sudden everything fits again, and the tiny "bump" is starting to show. So, I'm guessing I was just bloated or something. With the first two, we always said that we would take pictures of the growing belly, but for some reason or another, we never did. With this one, I'm hoping that we actually will and we're planning on posting them on here. So, as soon as we get our camera back from a friend... you will have monthly pics. But, for now, this update will have to do. We're excited for number 3!

Mealtime Mondays

Mealtime Mondays on a Tuesday. So, I'm a day late, oh well. Here ya go!

Monday- Labor Day- cookouts and leftovers :)

Tuesday- Garden Chicken Pasta

Wednesday- Lemon Pepper Fish and grilled veggies

Thursday- Stuffed Peppers and green beans

Friday- Mom's Night In- Nacho Bar with my friends :)

Saturday- Leftovers and Dining Out

Sunday- Potato and Broccoli Soup

Weekly Recipe:
Stuffed Peppers (From a friend's recipe box... which is now a staple in ours)

Ingredients:
4 peppers, red/green/orange/yellow- doesn't matter
1 lb ground beef
1 cup instant rice
1 can rotel diced tomatoes
ketchup to taste

Directions:
1. Cut the peppers in half and take out the seeds/white parts to create an empty hole for the filling.
2. Mix the ground beef, rice, and rotel together.
3. Fill the peppers with the meat mixture.
4. Squeeze some ketchup on the top of each pepper filled with meat.
5. Cover and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through.
6. ENJOY!

Edited to Add 9/8- Garden Chicken Pasta Recipe
Here ya go Denise:

Garden Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:
3 Chicken Breasts, trimmed, ready to cook
1 can diced tomatoes with green peppers, celery, and onion
1 can tomato sauce (small)
minced garlic
olive oil or butter- used to sautee
diced carrots
Garden Delight Rotini pasta

Directions:
1. Cook Pasta, set aside.
2. Sautee garlic in olive oil/butter, then add chicken.
3. Cook chicken until juices run clear.
4. Chop chicken into cubes or strips (can always do this while chicken is raw, then cook it, it tends to cut down on cook time)
5. Add diced tomatoes, carrots and tomato sauce to chicken, stir/mix.
6. Simmer chicken/tomato mixture until desired thickness for sauce occurs.
7. Serve chicken/tomato mixture over cooked pasta.

This is my hubs favorite way to eat pasta... and it's super easy. I typically cook my chicken when I purchase it from the store, then freeze it all in 2-3 breast bags. So that cuts down on cook time as well. Hope you enjoy!

Kids Say The Darndest Things

So, the kids and I have been going to the gym at least 3 days a week. The goal is 4, but it seems like something comes up and 3 has been the most that I've been able to do each week. I'm just glad that I'm getting to the gym and losing, not gaining weight so far in this pregnancy. This baby makes me eat every couple of hours, or I'm shaking, starving, and my stomach is eating itself. So, heading to the gym is a must at this point with the amount of food I'm ingesting :) But, the other day, Pea and I were talking about why I work out at the gym, and why exercising is important, etc.

She says to me:
"Mommy, when I get big, I will have fat all over my body like you and Daddy and I won't be skinny anymore."
I just stared at her, dumbfounded... yea, that's the last time I'm naked around you, kid. No more!

Off to the gym!!!!!!!!!

So Grown Up!

This week, Pea has started to look all grown up, and Grunt looks like a toddler, not a babe anymore. It's breaking my heart... wishing he would crawl just one more time so I can ingrain the memory of his booty up in the air, flat footed, bear crawl. But, alas, he walks everywhere. I think I can definitively say that he has crawled his last. He is even starting to run! I cannot believe it. I have a couple videos on my phone that I'm trying to figure out how to get to the computer.... buuuuutttttt..... I can't figure it out, lol. Here soon, I'll have the time to research it and get them up here. So, without further ado, here are the latest pics of the kiddos- all grown up.

It's the little things

FINALLY! AFTER MONTHS! WE HAVE........... A LAUNDRY LINE!!!!! I am so excited! I know, silly, right, but! I AM! I can finally sun the diapers (not only helping get any lingering stink out, but the sun is the best stain remover) and hang out our sheets and clothing. SO excited! Now, it's not perfect, and we'll probably end up moving it around until we find the perfect spot in the yard, but for now, here it is!!!

And here's Pea--- being Vana White for us :)