Green Mocha Smoothie

Santa gave us a new blender for Christmas!

Kitchen Aid awesome blender

We are soooo excited about this blender! Our old blender broke about a month ago and I've been craving a smoothie! So this morning I whipped together a new smoothie recipe I've been wanting to try: (measurements are not precise...sorry!)

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 handful (or 1 cup) of spinach
• 1 packet of instant coffee (i'm sure brewed coffee would work too)
• 1 spoonful cocoa powder
• 1 spoonful sugar
• 1 spoonful peanut butter
• a large handful of ice cubes

Mocha Smoothie

This was different from my usual Green Monster smoothie I make, but still very good!!  I liked that there was a lot of flavor! I could taste the peanut butter, banana and a hint of the coffee. Violet liked it too!  It was very yummy and I'm glad I got a helping of veggies without even trying.  Definetly making this again soon!

Dashing through the snow

Okay so not really dashing through the snow, but more so the week! For starters we had a wonderful Christmas with my family. We opened presents, ate, relaxed, played games, ate some more, and enjoyed each other.

Christmas 2011

I don't think I have mentioned this on here before but my Sister is also pregnant...and due on the EXACT same day! Though I'm having a c-section a week before our due date, its just amazing/crazy that we can both be due the same day!  We are both currently 27 weeks along.

Sisters and Baby Bump Cousins

The day before Christmas Violet started to develop a nasty cough with wheezing, but she was acting like her silly self. Thankfully her pediatrician office was open the next day and we went right over.  Poor thing had to do a breathing treatment, but luckily Bryson had the day off to go with us and pictures on my iPhone entertained her for the time.

At the Doctor

Isn't that picture horrible looking! It really isn't has bad as it looks, she wore the mask for like 5-10 mins and then it was over. This was her second time having to do a breathing treatment at the doctor, and the second time her body didn't respond to it.  So the doc concluded it is either RSV or a developing pneumonia.  But.....because she isn't showing full symptoms of either one he didn't want to over diagnose or give her meds when it wasn't needed. We're on watch over her to see if she is breathing normally at night or if her cough/wheezing gets worse.  Thankfully she has been sleeping better at night and she is acting normal. 

Yesterday I celebrated our annual "CYP Christmas" with Kim and Kimmy (we were missing LeighAnne) We have been friends since 7th grade and have shared to many Christmases together! We had a yummy lunch at Tiny Boxwoods and exchanged gifts.  I'm so glad we have this little tradition of getting together at the end of the year.   

CYP Christmas

It's been a great week so far, but it's time for me to dash to get our place ready for our weekend guests! 



Merry Christmas

I love love love sending and receiving Christmas cards! There is something about the season hearing from family and friends...and getting snail mail these days is very exciting! 

This year we took pictures with our new friend Natalie Blazei Photography . She did an amazing job (and has an incredible price) we will definitely be booking with her again in the near future! You should check her out if you live in the Houston area.  Our cards were made by another new friend of Little Bears Designs .  She has really cute designs and fun prints to choose from for all occasions. 

Remember today "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the LORD" (Luke 2:11).

Merry Christmas!

Projects

At mothers day out and during church (usually) Violet will bring home a cute little craft for us! We hang it up and she is so proud of her work! She walks by, points and talks about the project. It really is cute.

It has been so much fun to watch her be creative! I try for us to a "project" a week. I keep it simple. We collect leaves and glue them to paper, color a picture or trace our hands. The best part is every time I ask "do u want to do a project?" she says "yeah, dada?" because she likes to give them to Bryson when he gets home.

Today, she drew with chalk. She didn't like the texture of the chalk on her hands but quickly got over it when she saw how easily she could draw with it. We then added stickers. Heres how it turned out:

Reasons

This is my second time to be pregnant during this season of the year. (I had Violet in February and I'll have this one in March) And I have to admit, it's probably the best because:

1. Cooler weather
2. Halloween candy
3. Thanksgiving food
4. Christmas
5. Warmer weather when the baby is born so we can go outside
6. Not having to get in a bathing suit
7. Leggings!!!
8. Sales on summer/fall maternity clothes that still work bc it's not freezing in Texas
9. Seeing family and friends during the holiday season while pregnant
10. Less sweat!

Congestion

My nose has been congested on and off again for about three weeks. It's horrible, uncomfortable, annoying and irritating! I've tried taking over the counter meds that sorta helped. A netipot helped a little. But I'm so congested that the water wont drain out! I had a slight sinus infection so my doc put me on a Zpack that took away the pressure in my face. But still I'm snotty and congested!

I've learned it's hard to do everyday things while congested. Such as:

•Sleep
•Chew Gum
•Kiss
•Use Mouthwash
•Drink from a straw
•Breathe through your nose (duh!)
•Hum a song

24 weeks

Time is flying by: 6 months down, 3 more to go! And since I'm having a c-section again we have only 15 more weeks! yikes!  This pregnancy is really going by so much faster than my first. Here a a few updates:

• Since we found out we are having a boy we still have no decided on a name.  We have thrown some out there and have an on going list, but playing it cool as to not making any commitments yet on a name.
• Physically I've been feeling pretty good. I feel pregnant, big and little more uncomfortable than usual.  I dont remember feeling this way my first pregnancy, but since I now have a bump, I'm just feeling it more. I think because I was pregnant before, lost the weight and now am pregnant again, it's been harder to accept my physical appearance.  
• Violet points to my belly when we say "brother" and of course she says "loooook looook" and then we look at my belly.  When I feel him move, I try to get Violet too feel it too, but she won't leave her hand still long enough. She is going to be a great big sister. 
• Baby boy is a mover!! Usually around 7am I feel him a lot, through out the day randomly and then a lot between 9-10pm. 
• Now that it's finally winter here in Houston, I need to buy a maternity jacket. Like a casual zip-up hoodie type thing. But I'm pretty set with most my wardrobe
• Violet and I are still walking regularly. Though I miss running! But during my walks I've been getting sorta crampy in my lower belly.  My doctor said this is pretty normal for a second pregnancy since my muscles have already been stretched before, they are just weaker than the first time. She recommend a maternity support band....so we'll see how that works.
• My sister in law is going to make the baby bedding!! I'm super excited to pick out fabric this weekend!

24 weeks (sorry the shadows in the picture annoy me!)

Advent Jesse Tree

A few weeks ago a group of friends and I got together for an ornament exchange.  It wasn't just an "regular ornament" exchange, but it was for our very own Jesse Tree.  Honestly I had never heard of a Jesse Tree, but was more than happy to make a few ornaments to bring to a fun girls event! I signed up for the easiest ornament I could find on the list:

Day 21: A Brick Wall

After finding out that  Advent Jesse Tree is way to countdown to Christmas, starting the 4th Sunday before Christmas Day and ending on Christmas eve.  The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival". The Christian Church focuses the Advent season on the celebration of the birth of Jesus.  The Jesse Tree is a simple example of the genealogy of Jesus, it tells the story of God's plan starting with creation, continuing through the Old Testament and then to the coming of Christ.  Each day of Advent you add an ornament to your tree. The ornaments represent a prophecy foretelling of Christ and/or can represent a person in Christ lineage.  There's a book (I have yet to buy) that goes along with the ornament giving a bible verse, short commentary and devotional for each day.  But until I get that book, my family each night will be doing online readings together.  I'm excited to start this family tradition! I hope we keep it each year to teach our children about Christ and to remember what this time of year is really about.

All the girls did an awesome job on their ornaments! We each walked away with 25 each, one for each day of Advent! It was really fun to see what each person created:

Jesse Tree Ornaments



Today is Day 2 of Advent and it's never too late to start a tradition. So go ahead and start the readings and maybe next year you and some friends can make the ornaments too! 

House Arrest pt. 2

Remember my last post on house arrest?  Well it seems that Bryson and I caught Violet's cold over the weekend.  We were pretty pathetic and did absolutely nothing.  It was nice to be home and rest, but we were both a little stir crazy by Sunday.  I feel like my cold has been getting worse, this is what my week has consisted of:

Hot Tea

Blowing my nose

Nasal Saline Spray

I've been taking cold medicine that is suppose to be helping, but it feels like nothing is relieving the congestion and sinus pressure. And being pregnant you can only take certain medicines.  I'd really like to have my sense of taste back for Thanksgiving tomorrow...

House Arrest

Since Sunday we have been on house arrest! Violet inherited her father's allergies and bad bad bad allergies they are!  It seems since last fall every couple of months she gets a runny nose, a nasty cough and congestion.  I feel so sorry for her, because at this age there is little you can do, especially at night when all she does is cough.  We do nasal saline drops, benadryl, humidifier, steam/shower treatments during the day and tylenol. But man, it's hard to have a sick child and it's only allergies!

Today is the first day since Sunday that she has not had a fever and is acting more like herself.  I was a bummed she was so sick because there were a few things already planned for the week: Church/Sunday School, Mother's Day Out, MOPs , dinner with the CYP posse, and a lunch picnic with her mother's day out class.  Though it was nice to have a slow week and not having to rush through the day to be somewhere, I had to be more creative with our time at home.  We read a lot more books, played pretend, watched the rain, snuggled, and (only because she was sick) watched more tv than usual.  Violet has been really interested in letters lately (she can identify a few of them) so with leftover felt I had from ornaments, I made these:

Good ole fashion flashcards! Though she thinks it is more fun to show me the card and say the letter, it's a start! I ran out of felt and still need to make the last 6 letters, draw the corresponding animal/thing she knows in sign language on the back and hanging them in her room so she can see them...we'll see if this last one actually happens. 

Anyways I'm thankful today she is feeling better and praying for a more restful night for all of us.

Oh my!

I made my first pumpkin pie! I couldn't believe how easy it was, especially using and following the recipe on the back of the canned pumpkin mix! This will be made again!

Bread and Boys



Irish Soad Bread

I made my first ever homemade loaf of bread! I have been wanting to make bread for awhile now, but always was intimidated with the recipes.  Also I was concerned at how much time (and how messy) it actually took to knead the bread since I dont have a Kitchen Aid to do my dirty work.  Last week I was making a crock pot pulled pork and sauerkraut dinner. (Bryson LOVES sauerkraut and it actually turned out really tasty)  I was remember my friend Kim's Irish Soda bread she made for St. Patrick's day this past year and how yummy it was.  She passed on the recipe and it looked really easy to make AND it was!!

Baby Boy

Also last week we found out we are having a BOY!!!  Our ultrasound was awesome and he was moving A LOT!! (I should of known I was pregnant with a boy by all the movement I have felt) We are so excited to meet this little guy! Now all the cousins have a little brother!  (and that means we welcome all hand-me-downs! :) 

Best kid invention!!!

If you have kids that like to play/wash their hands as much as mine do, then you must buy this product!!

Aqueduck to the rescue!!



I saw this product while browsing through blogs a while back.  After getting tired of holding Violet up to reach the sink, even when she used a stool, I decided to buy an Aqueduck, seriously such a great idea!! By no means am I getting paid to promote this product (though that would be nice), I'm so satisfied at how awesome it is!! An Aqueduck is super, super easy to put on and remove off of sink faucet. It is low priced. And comes in two colors: Aqua or Pink. I have learned you need the faucet to be dry when first putting on the Aqueduck so it stays in place.  I read reviews and then placed an order on Amazon it's a pretty trusted site. 

We love it, Violet loves it and the world is a better place because of it! :)

Halloween 2011

We had so much fun last night at our church's halloween/fall festival! They had food trucks, tons of inflatables for the kids to play on, a cake walk, a petting zoo, and a bunch more.  Violet was sooo ADD looking at everything!  She wouldn't get on any of the inflatables for her age, but she did enjoy running along the bubble wrap "maze"!  We knew she it was ready to go when suddenly outside the petting zoo she just sat down and wouldn't budge.  She wasn't crying, she just didn't want to walk any further!

Violet has become quite the little lady...

Whew!

It has been a super super busy week in our household!! I'm so glad it's Friday, though we still have a few (fun) events to attend this weekend, it's always more relaxing knowing it is the weekend.  While I enjoyed having something on the calendar everyday this week (day or night), it definitely caught up to me today.  I just feel zonked!

My parents offered to have Violet over for a slumber party tonight while we go out to celebrate a friends birthday.  After putting V down for her nap at their house, I headed back home. I made a quick stop, Ross, which lately has been a place of great finds for me.  After getting home I changed into comfy clothes and curled up on the couch.  Though knowing there is a number of things to do that is easier without Violet around, I resisted and made myself rest....watched episodes of the Real Housewives and ate way too many of these:

So good and free from an HEB meal deal I purchased last week! Following the sweet treats, was a nice and needed nap.  Now I'm ready for the party tonight! TGIF!

18 weeks

I seriously can't believe I'm already this far along!  It's has definitely gone by a lot quicker then when I was pregnant with Violet.  Mostly because a) we are busy with a bubbly busy girl b) it's not as stressful c) we honestly forget/don't talk about it as much as the first pregnancy.

So to get down to some questions...

How are you feeling?
Pretty good!! I'm so glad we are over the first trimester narcolepsy! But I'm so thankful for afternoon naps when Violet naps. I caught a cold/allergies this weekend, but am feeling better. Sometimes I'm in shock that we are expecting again! It's a whole new routine/learning process having 2 kids, 2 years apart.  But we are also very excited that the Lord is adding to our family.

How's the baby?
So far so good. Currently 5 1/2 inches, about the length of a bell pepper. We had the first ultrasound at 7 weeks, which was amazing to see the tiny little heartbeat beating!  And have heard the heartbeat the 3 times.  Next appointment is the gender ultrasound...and yes we are finding out! 

Exercise:
I usually walk about 2 miles everyday with Violet.  And twice a week attend a workout class at the fitness center at church.  Though I can't/it's not comfortable to lay flat on my stomach for certian excercise moves, I'm still keeping pretty active.  I currently in LOVE with the spin class, it's so much fun!

Maternity Clothes:
Yes, please! I busted out the box around 10 weeks and was much more comfortable in my shorts.  Now wit anything worn on the waist is completely maternity.  I'm still in search of: workout pants, one more pair of jeans, and a few dresses. 

Sleep:
Really well! With usually 1-2 potty breaks in the night.

Movement:
I started to feel a few flutters two weeks ago, and now they are a little stronger. (my first pregnancy I didn't feel anything until about 20 weeks, but doctors say you notice movement earlier after you've been preggers before)   Last night we had a Jamaican themed potluck with friends, Derek made a delicious spicy jerk chicken recipe and once we got home baby was moving a lot!!

Food cravings:
Lemonade, Sprite, and cold textures

What I miss:
Sushi! Not that we ate it all the time, but knowing I can't have certain kinds is sad. (Though I'll probably sneak a few, don't tell my doctor)  And I miss my old clothes! I had just bought a few new items before we found out we were pregnant that I only got to wear once! haha

What I'm looking forward to:
Finding out the gender, having Bryson feel the baby move, and baby decorating!

Weekly wisdom:
I'm not fat, I'm pregnant.

Cousins

I didn't really grow up knowing my cousins. We would see them once a year, play hard and have a lot of fun together. We lived in California and then Texas, but our cousins/family still lived in Colorado. Now that I'm older and have a family of my own I wish I was closer to my relatives, I've realized my cousins/family are really cool and fun!

The beginning 2011 Bryson and I made it a goal to make it to all of Violet's cousins birthdays. And we did it! It was a busy year making the long trip (7 hours) almost every other month, but totally worth it! I feel like violet knows her cousins and they know her! My in laws really appreciated us making the effort to celebrate with the family and it was just nice to see them more often since we are the "black sheep" that don't live in the same town...at least it's still the same state!

Oh yeah....

One more change I didn't mention in the last post is.....



We're expecting Baby #2 is due at the end of March!

Fall Changes

This fall semester has brought on 3 changes for me.  I'm a born extrovert, so adjusting to stay-at-home momhood was a hard adjustment for me.  Without knowing any other SAHM's in our area, my days were very lonely and I'd end up being really needy when Bryson's came home.  After getting involved in a church this summer, I begin to pray and look for opportunities to make friends, be in community, and learn how to be a better mom.

1. This class is wonderful!! There are about 15 moms who meet together for the eight week study.  Motherwise to include a workout at the beginning of class, a video lecture, and then we break up into our small groups.  In our small groups there is mentor mom who is a lot "wiser" in age and life stage then the rest of us. She is there to guide, pray and mentor us through the class. I have really enjoyed this class a lot. The church has a great fitness center, so we have really sweaty, fun, intense workouts each week.  The book is challenging as it takes you though lessons on your relationship with your husband, God, self, children and others. When we meet in a small group we get to talk about what we are learning, ask questions and pray together.   Sadly we only have 2 weeks left of the class, but it has been such a growing experience in my relationship with God, my husband and also with Violet.

2.  I had heard about MOPs briefly and started to look into it when I had Violet. Being a new mom, in a new town, I was too scared and insecure to actually go to a meeting.  As I started to look into women's events at our church, I was SO excited to see they had a MOPs group. MOPs is for mom's of preschool aged kids (newborn to until kinder), to "experience experience authentic community, mothering support, personal growth and spiritual hope, all to help you be the best mom possible."  Seriously it is SO much fun! Our group meets twice a month, we have a huge breakfast, listen to a speaker, discuss and usually have a craft or game....all the while Violet is in childcare in the same building! (love it!) The women are so real, fun, kind and inviting.  I would highly, highly recommend ALL mom's to look into joining one. Even if it is hosted at a different church than you normally attend, it's a great place of community...and you'll make new/more friends!

3. Joining a small group (sorry no picture!)  A small group is basically a smaller group of couples from our Sunday school class that meet together once a week to support each other in our daily lives, spiritual growth, marriages and just having fun together!  We currently are going through this book , discussing a chapter each week.  While a lot of the times we are out of town on the weekends and miss Sunday School, it is nice to have a common place to meet during the week with friends.  We are learning  a lot from the book and it has been really fun to make friends with other couples in our same life stage. 

Chores

I grew up in a clean and tidy house. I'd like to credit to my parents being Army kids. We had our days of messiness, but mostly it was pretty tidy.  Now being a stay at home mom and in my own place I tend to have the same tendency.  Trust me, some days dishes are left over night, toys are on the floor, and clean laundry is waiting to be folded. And with a 19 month old, the minute you put toys away, she's rolling out toilet paper across the bathroom!  I actually enjoy cleaning, it gives me satisfaction to see results, it makes me feel comfortable and then I know it's clean.

I made a friend during the summer bible study I did at church. And I overheard someone ask her, "So what chore is today?"  Later asking her about it, she explained to keep herself sane while she's at home she has designated one chore a day, that way it helps her keep the house clean instead of having one long day with a lot of chores to do.  Brilliant!!! I since have (sorta) adopted this motto.  I had already had laundry days, but after adopting cleaning one thing a day has really helped me feel less stressed. 
For example, here's what I've made up as a normal week of cleaning chores:

Monday: Me and Bryson's laundry and Vacuum
Tuesday: Clean Bathrooms aka "Toilet Tuesday"
Wednesday: Violet's laundry
Thursday: free day :)
Friday: Me and Bryson's laundry

As you can see, it's really not that much! And who wants to clean on a weekend??

*Sweeping the floor, dishes, wiping counters, putting away toys is an everyday event
**All you men haters out there, don't you worry Bryson does plenty around the house to help with chores too :)

27

Yesterday was my 27th birthday! woohoo! I feel like I should write/think about goals for what I want to do this year...but short on time/making my brain work I'll spare you.  I had a really nice, relaxing, fun day.

From my sweet Bryson, I woke up this:

It's sorta a sentimental and tradiational breakfast. My mom use to make "M" pancakes when we were little. 

-Violet and I headed to a morning play group with our new Sunday school class.  We had a lot of fun hanging out with super nice, sweet new friends. 

-Lunch with my mom at Jason's Deli

-A nice nap

-Dance Party in the Kitchen with Violet

-Then with my parents, life long friends (The Smullen's and Newman's) we had Goode Company BBQ.  This is also another tradition to have Rudy's BBQ...but Rudy's is so hard to get to with traffic. My meal was good, but I'll need to make a trip to Rudy's soon!

-Then we had dessert at Marble Slab

It was a great day and I felt loved and celebrated! More celebration to come tomorrow night too!

Cheers 27! 

30 minute naps

Seriously? 30 minutes! What the heck?  Violet has been so weird with sleeping the past couple of weeks.  Her naps are 30mins-1hr and believe me that is not enough! I mean she's not cranky when she gets up, she's actually really pleasant and cute.  But when she has had at about 1.5-2.5 hr naps, she's a lot more happier than usual.  How can I get her to nap longer?  She sleeps solid 8pm-6am at night, so I can't complain that much...except a few weeks ago was a disaster of tears and long crying it out periods.  But lately when she wakes up at 6, we give her a sippy of milk and she falls back a sleep with me until about 7:30am or 8am.  But it's the naps that are frustrating! I need a nap/rest/get things done time.  Today after her short nap, we had a little fun with some dress up clothes her cousin gave her this weekend

From this picture,  can you tell there is a big personality in this little body? She's a hoot!

out

im behind with bloggging. sorry. ive have books to post about, recipes to share, and randoms too. also our battery adapter to our laptop started crackling and smoking last week so we have to order. until then i have brys phone to get my media fix in.

so stay tuned...

July Book #2

This was such a great book!! I couldn't believe it was Stockett's first novel (and it's going to be a movie too!)  I loved reading it and couldn't put it down.  The Help is about womanhood, friendship, civil rights, love and the call to something greater in life.  I'm not going to ruin the whole story for you, but highly recommend it you read this book.  I can't wait to see the movie in August! 





surprise

Last night after I was finished giving Violet a bath and Bryson was cleaning the kitchen, I walked in to see these:

Let's just say I have a sweet and sneaky Husband :) Thanks B! 

July Book

Echo in the Darkness is the second book of the trilogy to the book, A Voice in the Wind, I read in June.  I couldn't get my hands on this fast enough!  Thankfully my sweet friend Liz brought it with her the next time I saw her! I guess she new how fast I would read through the first story.  So if you are going to read "Mark of the Lion" series, go ahead and have book one and two together so you can jump right in. 

This book was just as good as the first one!  I fell in love with the characters and so glad they continue in the second book!   I was so mesmerized by the story that one day I let Violet watch TV practically all day so I could read. (my bad!)  Francine Rivers is so unpredictable with this storyline, things happen that I never would of thought, characters show so much more of their personality than the first book.  I think I cried 2 or 3 times while reading, all happy tears. 

I don't to give too much away for those of you out there that might/should read this book.  It's really a fascinating story of love, redemption, servant hood, and mercy.

Girls Weekend

My college girl friends and I try to get together for a weekend or weekend lunch as many times possible in a year!  This weekend took place in San Marcos/Wimberley and it  was a special one in many ways...it was the first time in three years ALL 8 of us were together! Hip Hip Hooray!

Friday: I took a slight detour before coffee to drive through campus, drive down San Antonio street, see the Herdon house and White Castle.  I  then met up with Amanda, Corrie (and Maggie) at our favorite place coffee shop, Mochas and Javas , where we would "study" in college. The owner still remembers us!

Coffee + Girl time = Happy Camper



We then headed to The Wimberley House to get ready for the other girls and decorate.  (We surprised our little preggo Grace with a "Children's Book" themed baby shower. )  We also got the surprise of a lifetime that Nikki had been proposed to the night before!!!!! She wanted to wait to tell us in person to see all of our crazy reactions:

We so excited, so excited!

Pretty Bride to Be :)



After a night of chatting, laughing and eating way to many pizza rolls, guacamole, bagel bites, and pita chips we finally headed off to sleep, but only before Jessie killed a scorpion.

Saturday: We awoke to a morning lounging around and finally got it together to go to the Blanco River.  It is about a mile walk from the house.  We had the whole place to ourselves!! We spent 3 hours in the water hanging out and talking.

Toobing on the river



We ended the night in San Marcos at River Pub and Grill for dinner watching the sun go down and families playing at Rio Vista Park.

Girls4Life!



Sad to say I didn't have my camera for the end of the night, we hit up the Square for drinks and a long night of karaoke! It was so much fun for making new memories together!

Can't wait for the next one!

Date Night

While my in laws were here this past week, they offered to watch V one night if we wanted to go out.  We definitely couldn't pass the offer and decided on the classic "dinner and movie" date night.  We couldn't remember when just the two of us had seen a movie together, it was either Harry Potter or Inception, which was LAST YEAR!!  As it being 4th of July night we didn't think restaurants would be closed.  We drove to 3 places in the area and all closed. We then decided to just drive near the theater and see if we anything that catches our taste.  I'm SO glad we did! We found Korean food:

I could eat here everyday!

We weren't too sure at first but thought we'd give it a try. The restaurant is very casual. You order at the front and your food is brought to you.  The staff was very very friend and helpful.  It has all the traditional Korean food items and some of the fusion/food truck items.  As we browsed the menu and asked questions we placed our orders. 

I had the Traditional Beef Bibimbap:

Beef and veggies over rice topped with a fried egg

Bryson ordered the Kobecue Short Ribs and Chicken Plate:

BBQ Ribs, chicken, veggies, rice and a bowl of miso soup (not pictured)



The portions are big, but if you are a good eater, you'll be full. We shared with one another.  Both were delicious and very flavorful. I really liked the Bibimbap, but wish I had asked for the fried egg a little runny.  The BBQ ribs were soooo tasty!! AND you get unlimited kimchi! Bryson and I will definitely be back and it's close to home!  Join us!

Dinner and a Movie



We then went to see Larry Crowne starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. With those actors we thought it would be a great movie. Wrong! It sadly wasn't good. The story line was choppy and you didn't really get to know the characters.  It was a little weird, but sorta funny.  Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts made it not so horrible, but if you are planning to see it I would wait until redbox or netflix. 

Though the movie was disappointing and the food delicious we had a fun date night.  It was a good reminder of the many reasons why I like and love my husband.

Toddler Food

As a first time parent I thought I would never do this or never do that.  But as time went on you realize somethings don't matter as much as I once thought.  Food for example.  We were thankful that Violet didn't have any trouble nursing.  I wasn't sure how long I would nurse for, but knew I didn't want to do it longer than a year.  As we moved on to rice cereal and baby food I was pretty particular at first. I mean I made her baby food for the first couple of months she was on solids!  (It was actually fun, simple and gave me something do to throughout the day) I remember thinking I, "I'm not going to give her that package food, I can make my own for cheaper and it's fresh."  Wrong!  Time crept up on me and it became easier and convenient to buy baby food.  Then has she got better chewing and grew teeth I remember seeing these:

Gerber Graduates...microwave meals.  I thought, that's gross I don't want my child eating fake, packaged food.  Well my mom bought a few for us and one night we tried them.....and they are great!! Violet looooooves them!  They are super easy when you are traveling or visiting friends and your child gets hungry!  I really appreciate that they include veggies too!  There are all different kinds of meals.  (also, some grocery stores sell off brand that are just as good) Sometimes I have a hard time thinking of what to feed Violet, especially if it's a grocery store day...and we haven't gone yet.  But I keep learning my lesson over and over, from none other than Justin Bieber, "Never Say Never".

Family Fouth

We had a very full, fun, and family filled 4th of July weekend! My inlaws have been visiting us for the past week, which has been so great! They have been getting to do normal grandparent things like, bedtime routines, swimming, going to the store, bathtime, snuggles and babysitting. 

Papa, Nana, and Violet watching Elmo

My sister and brother in law also came in for the weekend.  So on the July 3rd we had a big BBQ with everyone. Lunch we had BBQ chicken, rice, veggies, potatoes and Dinner was Hamburgers, hotdogs and sausage. Then cake and ice cream! Let me tell you, we were stuffed!! But it was all so good!

Yummy cake my MIL made!







Violet also had an eager audience as she entertained us for the day:

Sprinkler funtime

She also mimicked the syllables for "Uncle Matt" all day, which I think won him over

Uncle Matt and V reading



I was exhausted by the time my head it the pillow, but it was a great non-4th of July celebration with family! 

Cookie or Dough

I have a weakness and am faced with dilema every time...

Do I eat the dough or the cookie? See with the dough you don't have accountability of quantity size so you can have a spoonful here, a little finger scoop there and then a couple more spoonfuls and you really don't know how much you've eaten.  But with a cookie you know that eating 5 is probably unacceptable.  Most of the time I'll make cookies and just eat enough dough until I've had my fill and then freeze the rest for later to actually bake.  I'm a sucker though, I can very rarely ever pass up a raw cookie dough or a chocolate chip cookies.  I'd say they are one of my weaknesses...especially when my friend Kim Espi makes them.  Her dough and cookies are so good!

Cookie dough brings back so many memories for me.  It reminds me of my wild and crazy college days when with my 7 bffs sitting in our pjs, watching mean girls, or babysitters club and having dance parties (told you we were wild and crazy ;)  It also reminds me of when Bryson first told me his "intentions" and later made, from scratch with out a hand blender, raw cookie dough cause he knew I liked it so much.  And then I knew he had to be the one (joking...sorta!)

So what about you, cookie or dough? 



No Other Gods

I recently joined a women's bible study at church and we started this bible study: 

Though we've only been attending this church off and on for 3 months,  I thought I'd try to get involved and meet others.  I've been majorly lacking in quality time with the Lord and with a bible study and commitment to actually go to the class for 8 weeks, will hopefully help keep me accountable on my part.  I'm also really excited about the women in this class! We've only had two classes so far and everyone is so friendly, honest, and fun!  Our class meets Tuesday mornings and so most of the women in the class are either retired, teachers on summer, or moms. Which I love being together with other women in all stages of life.

Almond Graham Squares

I was in charge of bringing the dessert for our Father's Day BBQ.  Thinking about that we were going to be eating a heavy steak, potatoes, corn, veggies dinner, I was trying to find something that was light and tasty. And this was a perfect treat!

Ingredients

-1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker crumbs

-1 can (14oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk

-1/4 tsp salt

-2 cups sliced Almonds

*optional-1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottom and sides of an 8x8inch square baking pan with foil, coat with non-stick spray

2. In a medium bowl combine 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1 can sweetened condensed milk and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir until moistened. Stir in 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds *and chocolate chips

3. Spread mixture evenly in pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup sliced almonds, patting down gently

4. Bake until golden, about 35-40 minutes. Cool completely. Remove from pant, peel off foil and cut into squares.

This dessert was really light and tasty.  My dad brewed some coffee and it was a perfect combo together.  Enjoy!

Father's Day

Happy Father's day! We had a great day celebrating:

Started off with homemade blackberry and cream cheese french toast

Cooling off in Lolo and Grandma's backyard

A delicious BBQ with my parents

Riding "bikes"

and learning the hula :)