Recipe Review

At the bottom of my last post, I wrote about new recipes I was going to try out for dinner that I got from May's Southern Living. Both were out-of-this-world in the delicious category, and I am so glad I tried them. It was quite the convoluted culinary experience though, involving many non-staple items and lots of dicing and chopping. Patrick went on and on about how delectable everything tasted, and I had to break the news that the harsh reality was that they were once-a-summer type dishes. (Good thing we have leftovers for tonight!) The first dish I made was this: (Click on title for a link to the recipe.)

Black Beans and Coconut Lime Rice:
This is categorized as a main dish, but I made it as a side to the coconut chicken.

Favorite Parts:
Mangoes, Mangoes, Mangoes... The recipe suggests topping the dish with chopped radishes and jalepeno peppers, diced mangoes, and lime wedges. Since there was a poblano pepper in the bean mixture and yellow and green onions as well, I opted for the mangoes option, and they did not disappoint.

Least Favorite Parts:
ALL the prep work

• zesting the lime
• toasting the coconut
• chopping cilantro
• chopping poblano pepper
• chopping the small yellow onion and 2 small green onions

(Probably this was even more of a nuisance to me because my William Sonoma usually AWESOME vegetable chopper kept getting jammed...)

Was the taste of the end product worth it??? TOTALLY. But I recommend saving it for a special night.

For our main dish I made Coconut Chicken. This involved dirtying up 3 prep bowls, but the rest of the steps and ingredients were simple. Serving it with honey mustard sauce made it even more yummy, and this would be an easy one to do more regularly. Happy cooking and eating!

At the bottom of my last post, I wrote about new recipes I was going to try out for dinner that I got from May's Southern Living. Both were out-of-this-world in the delicious category, and I am so glad I tried them. It was quite the convoluted culinary experience though, involving many non-staple items and lots of dicing and chopping. Patrick went on and on about how delectable everything tasted, and I had to break the news that the harsh reality was that they were once-a-summer type dishes. (Good thing we have leftovers for tonight!) The first dish I made was this: (Click on title for a link to the recipe.)

Black Beans and Coconut Lime Rice:
This is categorized as a main dish, but I made it as a side to the coconut chicken.

Favorite Parts:
Mangoes, Mangoes, Mangoes... The recipe suggests topping the dish with chopped radishes and jalepeno peppers, diced mangoes, and lime wedges. Since there was a poblano pepper in the bean mixture and yellow and green onions as well, I opted for the mangoes option, and they did not disappoint.

Least Favorite Parts:
ALL the prep work

• zesting the lime
• toasting the coconut
• chopping cilantro
• chopping poblano pepper
• chopping the small yellow onion and 2 small green onions

(Probably this was even more of a nuisance to me because my William Sonoma usually AWESOME vegetable chopper kept getting jammed...)

Was the taste of the end product worth it??? TOTALLY. But I recommend saving it for a special night.

For our main dish I made Coconut Chicken. This involved dirtying up 3 prep bowls, but the rest of the steps and ingredients were simple. Serving it with honey mustard sauce made it even more yummy, and this would be an easy one to do more regularly. Happy cooking and eating!

What's for lunch?

My little water fish and I spent our morning in the backyard playing in our redneck baby pool, complete with Addison's water table and our beach ball sprinkler:I was feeling too tired and hot to load up the wagon and head to the neighborhood pool, so this was our alternative, and she wore herself out. We had so much fun that time snuck up on us, and before we knew it, it was time for lunch. I made a batch of pimento cheese yesterday, and we enjoyed grilled pimento cheese and tomato sandwiches (always a summer craving of mine because sometimes when it is so hot, it's hard to come up with something tasty...), but I wanted to save the leftovers for a picnic with Patrick tomorrow.

We're grilled cheese and pb&j'ed out, so I made these tasty and healthy creations from a weight watchers recipe years ago in Auburn. Here you go:

English Muffin Pizzas
Ingredients:
English Muffins
Pasta Sauce (or marinara or pizza or anything you have on hand)
Low moisture/ part skim milk mozzarella cheese
Turkey pepperonis

Bake at 350 for 5 minutes to thoroughly heat. Broil for an additional minute to make sure the cheese is good and melted. Enjoy! (For you points counters out there, this recipe is a total of 5 points.)

Addison gobbled hers up completely and has been napping soundly for over 2 hours now!
On the menu for tonight: Coconut Chicken with Black Beans and Coconut-Lime Rice, a recipe from May's Southern Living, test driven and recommended by my friend April. If I remember, I'll try to take a picture of it and report back tomorrow.

My little water fish and I spent our morning in the backyard playing in our redneck baby pool, complete with Addison's water table and our beach ball sprinkler:I was feeling too tired and hot to load up the wagon and head to the neighborhood pool, so this was our alternative, and she wore herself out. We had so much fun that time snuck up on us, and before we knew it, it was time for lunch. I made a batch of pimento cheese yesterday, and we enjoyed grilled pimento cheese and tomato sandwiches (always a summer craving of mine because sometimes when it is so hot, it's hard to come up with something tasty...), but I wanted to save the leftovers for a picnic with Patrick tomorrow.

We're grilled cheese and pb&j'ed out, so I made these tasty and healthy creations from a weight watchers recipe years ago in Auburn. Here you go:

English Muffin Pizzas
Ingredients:
English Muffins
Pasta Sauce (or marinara or pizza or anything you have on hand)
Low moisture/ part skim milk mozzarella cheese
Turkey pepperonis

Bake at 350 for 5 minutes to thoroughly heat. Broil for an additional minute to make sure the cheese is good and melted. Enjoy! (For you points counters out there, this recipe is a total of 5 points.)

Addison gobbled hers up completely and has been napping soundly for over 2 hours now!
On the menu for tonight: Coconut Chicken with Black Beans and Coconut-Lime Rice, a recipe from May's Southern Living, test driven and recommended by my friend April. If I remember, I'll try to take a picture of it and report back tomorrow.

Swim Lessons

Saturday was Swim Lesson #2 for Addy-belle. This time we brought along Daddy so he could document the event. She still has a love-hate relationship with the water--"love" when she can do what she wants to do and "hate" when she has to float on her back. We are making progress, and here are a few pics.

Saturday was Swim Lesson #2 for Addy-belle. This time we brought along Daddy so he could document the event. She still has a love-hate relationship with the water--"love" when she can do what she wants to do and "hate" when she has to float on her back. We are making progress, and here are a few pics.

TV or no TV in the bedroom...? question of the week

This is not my bedroom... sigh. I do love interior brick walls anywhere in a home though. Rather, this photo came from an entry on Belle Maison.

We are currently thinking about striking our tv watching for the summer. (which in our definition means not being glued to it--read: our DVR--for hours on end. every. night. We are fine with the occasional Dora or Sesame Street for Addison and will still "hulu" Friday Night Lights, of course. And the background noise of The Today Show or Sports Center will not hinder our focus. I know, I know, exceptions, exceptions... For us, this is still a sacrifice.)

What lead to this decision was our overdose of shows this past year and feeling so stressed out to catch up on our DVR all the time that there was no time left for our other forms of entertainment: reading, listening to music, TALKING...

For us, watching some tv is a form of bonding--we claim that we got engaged to 24; we watched the 1st season of LOST during a mutual sickness that left us couchbound during the first few months of marriage; we both love college football and basketball; the Masters (Mickelson's first win) was the first thing we ever saw on HD.

Our discipline has been compromised, and we have decided--rather impulsively although hopefully wisely--that we would go to the other extreme and cancel our HD package. Yep. We are back to basic cable. We made this decision in an attempt to simplify our lives, change some saving/spending plans we have, and make time for more meaningful kinds of entertainment. When Football Season rolls around and Fall premieres start, we may be singing a different tune.

We recently rearranged our living room when we received a new-to-us leather chair and ottomon, and we have found ourselves enjoying this room that we've dubbed "The Cove" more this week than we have in the 3 years we have lived here. Our nice tvs are upstairs in the Rec Room and in our bedroom. We've thought about selling the tv we have in here, but we are sitting on it for a little bit... so many changes so fast. :)

That said, it leads me to the question I'm now contemplating...

Should we keep our tv in the bedroom or remove it?

I like it for the following reasons:
1)I like to listen to/watch the weather, news, Today Show while I get ready in the mornings.
2) I LOVE to fall asleep to movies.

I think we should move it for other reasons:
1) I fall asleep while watch our DVR'ed shows (not an issue anymore) and then am stressed to catch up the next day.
2) If I don't fall asleep, I (and Patrick) stay up WAY too late.

I've read articles here about healthy marriages and bedroom tvs and here about Feng Shui. I've thought through the logistics of our home's layout and where I picture us spending our time once Addison moves to her "big girl" room (right next to the rec/play room). Now I'm just sitting on it some more. I'd welcome any thoughts/opinions/ideas.

Otherwise, we've had a pretty low key week--pool and playground Monday, storytime with Addison and Savannah on Tuesday with the afternoon spent helping out Linds with Sawyer and housework, my 18 wk checkup Wednesday and lunch with Patrick, the zoo yesterday with Lia and her girls, and local errands and relaxing today. We're trying to plan a getaway at the end of summer to use some free airline tickets and celebrate our upcoming 5th anniversary, but we're running out of luck and time with flights and ideas. Here are some pics from the zoo:

This is not my bedroom... sigh. I do love interior brick walls anywhere in a home though. Rather, this photo came from an entry on Belle Maison.

We are currently thinking about striking our tv watching for the summer. (which in our definition means not being glued to it--read: our DVR--for hours on end. every. night. We are fine with the occasional Dora or Sesame Street for Addison and will still "hulu" Friday Night Lights, of course. And the background noise of The Today Show or Sports Center will not hinder our focus. I know, I know, exceptions, exceptions... For us, this is still a sacrifice.)

What lead to this decision was our overdose of shows this past year and feeling so stressed out to catch up on our DVR all the time that there was no time left for our other forms of entertainment: reading, listening to music, TALKING...

For us, watching some tv is a form of bonding--we claim that we got engaged to 24; we watched the 1st season of LOST during a mutual sickness that left us couchbound during the first few months of marriage; we both love college football and basketball; the Masters (Mickelson's first win) was the first thing we ever saw on HD.

Our discipline has been compromised, and we have decided--rather impulsively although hopefully wisely--that we would go to the other extreme and cancel our HD package. Yep. We are back to basic cable. We made this decision in an attempt to simplify our lives, change some saving/spending plans we have, and make time for more meaningful kinds of entertainment. When Football Season rolls around and Fall premieres start, we may be singing a different tune.

We recently rearranged our living room when we received a new-to-us leather chair and ottomon, and we have found ourselves enjoying this room that we've dubbed "The Cove" more this week than we have in the 3 years we have lived here. Our nice tvs are upstairs in the Rec Room and in our bedroom. We've thought about selling the tv we have in here, but we are sitting on it for a little bit... so many changes so fast. :)

That said, it leads me to the question I'm now contemplating...

Should we keep our tv in the bedroom or remove it?

I like it for the following reasons:
1)I like to listen to/watch the weather, news, Today Show while I get ready in the mornings.
2) I LOVE to fall asleep to movies.

I think we should move it for other reasons:
1) I fall asleep while watch our DVR'ed shows (not an issue anymore) and then am stressed to catch up the next day.
2) If I don't fall asleep, I (and Patrick) stay up WAY too late.

I've read articles here about healthy marriages and bedroom tvs and here about Feng Shui. I've thought through the logistics of our home's layout and where I picture us spending our time once Addison moves to her "big girl" room (right next to the rec/play room). Now I'm just sitting on it some more. I'd welcome any thoughts/opinions/ideas.

Otherwise, we've had a pretty low key week--pool and playground Monday, storytime with Addison and Savannah on Tuesday with the afternoon spent helping out Linds with Sawyer and housework, my 18 wk checkup Wednesday and lunch with Patrick, the zoo yesterday with Lia and her girls, and local errands and relaxing today. We're trying to plan a getaway at the end of summer to use some free airline tickets and celebrate our upcoming 5th anniversary, but we're running out of luck and time with flights and ideas. Here are some pics from the zoo:

Recent Mommy Reads

***This one's just for the ladies. Sorry, Dad and Steven.***

My mom takes Redbook Magazine, and she recently brought me two articles to read about parenting. I'll link them on here for you to read if your interests are piqued. I'll also share my thoughts on them.

The first was about breastfeeding and was titled, "No, You Don't Have to Breastfeed." This controversial article (just read some of the reader's comments after...) relays one woman's journey that lead her to unapologetically bottle feed her child. She weighs the pros and cons while honestly expounding on her unpopular, albeit personal, decision.

While I am a breastfeeding advocate, I also believe that what defines a good mother does not come from her nipples of milk and honey. We are culturally defined by so many "social norms" that henpeck us into feeling like we have to do things a certain way. In our day and age, breastfeeding is that norm, and, unfortunately, it just doesn't work for everyone... What about the mom who's baby is losing weight? The baby with food allergies to everything? The mom of the lazy eater? The mom who is so stressed out with older kids that she's just not making any milk?

Almost every mom I know who chose to nurse her child went through some obstacle and made decisions along the way about when to stop, when to supplement, etc. For me, it was Addison's milk allergy and the drastic changes I was forced to make to my own diet. Was it worth it to continue??? Almost every woman has a story of mastitis, cracked nipples, diminishing supply, you name it... and the mom's who don't brag about their three years of spiritual bonding while nursing their child(ren), staring into their eyes, muckety muck. (Sorry for the overgeneralization.)

Unfortunately, another of our societal norms is the "misery loving company" mantra... I remember one of the first questions I got from friends, family, total strangers... was "Are you nursing? Pause... (in a borderline look of worry/condescension) How's it going?" First. Like it's any of their business. Second. Do you want me to share my battle stories to make yourself feel better, or do you really care?

No matter the decision a mom makes, she feels some sort of guilt and judgment. Some combination of selfishness and selflessness. And it doesn't matter how long or short or not at all that they nursed. Someone will ask "how it's going" and respond with some look of chagrin.

Like I said before, I am an advocate of breastfeeding. It worked for me and Addison, and my dietary sacrifices were worth it to me for the goal that I set for myself. (I will NEVER forget how good my first piece of EXTRA CHEESE pizza was for me or how much I savored every gulp of cow's milk with my chocolate chip cookies the night that my breasts were officially emancipated.) I will try to nurse this second child for a time, taking it feeding by feeding, day by day, and I hope and pray that I make the best decision for my child and my whole family and that caring about my family's well-being will be what defines me as a good mom.

Mostly, I just hope that I will not succumb to the expectations of others and that I will be GENTLE with myself...

Still with me?

OK, the second article was a bit more sentimental and reflective. It was titled: "Letting Go of Your Kids, Little By Little." The author describes the stages of a child's transition from dependence to independence and the little benchmarks along the way.

This article made me cry. It also made me understand why people keep having children. I've mentioned in a previous post that the idea of "growing up" has always been an emotional one for me. As an imaginative child, I prayed that the time would pass slow and that I would not have to grow up. Maybe it was some sort of Peter Pan syndrome--I don't know. As a mother, I have those same thoughts. With each milestone that Addison reaches, I am filled with awe and pride and love and wonder... mixed with a little sadness and sentimentality. I desire for her to be an independent soul (which she totally is) with hopes and dreams. I want to help her learn to love and serve, to work hard, to reach her goals. Yet, I feel myself wanting to hold onto these sweet days where her "Mommy, what' that?" and "Look, Mommy!" and "I'm Mommy's little girl." and "Hold you, Mommy!" phrases keep her my little girl for as long as possible.

This article put parenting into perspective for me. It made me so thankful for this opportunity and responsibility, and it made me want to cherish moments. Each moment. Especially the hard ones.

If you read these articles (or even if you don't), I'd love to hear your thoughts on these topics.

Happy Thursday!

***This one's just for the ladies. Sorry, Dad and Steven.***

My mom takes Redbook Magazine, and she recently brought me two articles to read about parenting. I'll link them on here for you to read if your interests are piqued. I'll also share my thoughts on them.

The first was about breastfeeding and was titled, "No, You Don't Have to Breastfeed." This controversial article (just read some of the reader's comments after...) relays one woman's journey that lead her to unapologetically bottle feed her child. She weighs the pros and cons while honestly expounding on her unpopular, albeit personal, decision.

While I am a breastfeeding advocate, I also believe that what defines a good mother does not come from her nipples of milk and honey. We are culturally defined by so many "social norms" that henpeck us into feeling like we have to do things a certain way. In our day and age, breastfeeding is that norm, and, unfortunately, it just doesn't work for everyone... What about the mom who's baby is losing weight? The baby with food allergies to everything? The mom of the lazy eater? The mom who is so stressed out with older kids that she's just not making any milk?

Almost every mom I know who chose to nurse her child went through some obstacle and made decisions along the way about when to stop, when to supplement, etc. For me, it was Addison's milk allergy and the drastic changes I was forced to make to my own diet. Was it worth it to continue??? Almost every woman has a story of mastitis, cracked nipples, diminishing supply, you name it... and the mom's who don't brag about their three years of spiritual bonding while nursing their child(ren), staring into their eyes, muckety muck. (Sorry for the overgeneralization.)

Unfortunately, another of our societal norms is the "misery loving company" mantra... I remember one of the first questions I got from friends, family, total strangers... was "Are you nursing? Pause... (in a borderline look of worry/condescension) How's it going?" First. Like it's any of their business. Second. Do you want me to share my battle stories to make yourself feel better, or do you really care?

No matter the decision a mom makes, she feels some sort of guilt and judgment. Some combination of selfishness and selflessness. And it doesn't matter how long or short or not at all that they nursed. Someone will ask "how it's going" and respond with some look of chagrin.

Like I said before, I am an advocate of breastfeeding. It worked for me and Addison, and my dietary sacrifices were worth it to me for the goal that I set for myself. (I will NEVER forget how good my first piece of EXTRA CHEESE pizza was for me or how much I savored every gulp of cow's milk with my chocolate chip cookies the night that my breasts were officially emancipated.) I will try to nurse this second child for a time, taking it feeding by feeding, day by day, and I hope and pray that I make the best decision for my child and my whole family and that caring about my family's well-being will be what defines me as a good mom.

Mostly, I just hope that I will not succumb to the expectations of others and that I will be GENTLE with myself...

Still with me?

OK, the second article was a bit more sentimental and reflective. It was titled: "Letting Go of Your Kids, Little By Little." The author describes the stages of a child's transition from dependence to independence and the little benchmarks along the way.

This article made me cry. It also made me understand why people keep having children. I've mentioned in a previous post that the idea of "growing up" has always been an emotional one for me. As an imaginative child, I prayed that the time would pass slow and that I would not have to grow up. Maybe it was some sort of Peter Pan syndrome--I don't know. As a mother, I have those same thoughts. With each milestone that Addison reaches, I am filled with awe and pride and love and wonder... mixed with a little sadness and sentimentality. I desire for her to be an independent soul (which she totally is) with hopes and dreams. I want to help her learn to love and serve, to work hard, to reach her goals. Yet, I feel myself wanting to hold onto these sweet days where her "Mommy, what' that?" and "Look, Mommy!" and "I'm Mommy's little girl." and "Hold you, Mommy!" phrases keep her my little girl for as long as possible.

This article put parenting into perspective for me. It made me so thankful for this opportunity and responsibility, and it made me want to cherish moments. Each moment. Especially the hard ones.

If you read these articles (or even if you don't), I'd love to hear your thoughts on these topics.

Happy Thursday!

A fun-filled week!

Whew! It's been nice to have today to catch our breath and regroup. We had a filled-to-the-brim week last week, and we are loving summer. This post is going to be a recap in words and pictures...

We started the summer reading program at the library on Tuesday. We go there on Tuesdays for story time and crafts, and Addison loves it! To complete the program, we have to read 15 minutes a day for 4 weeks--a total of 300 minutes. The book-lover-nerd I am began doing these reading programs at a young age too, but as you can see from the pictures below, I am not having to pull any teeth to get this little one interested in reading. In fact, we are well into the 2nd week's worth of 75 minutes!
In the mornings, after her naps, when I'm putting her laundry away, and of course, at night, Addison pulls herself into the rocker and pulls books off her shelf, saying, "I read books! Oh boy!" I LOVE it!

We also went to 2 water play days with friends--one group from our class at church and the other with my school mommy friends. Addison had a blast at both! Unfortunately I don't have picture's from Laura Beth's house because I ambitiously took both Savannah and Addison to this one. They were both so good and obedient and sweet, but they were also equally adventurous, and I did not relax for a minute. There were these moms just relaxing watching their kids play, and I just laughed to myself, thinking "one day..." because at one point I saw Addison going head first down a waterslide (to which she replied, once she caught her breath, "That hurt me! I do it AGAIN!" Sigh...) and Savannah--across the yard--halfway up a ladder to a tree house, yelling for me, "Kiki, can you get me down from here????" Like I said, both girls were great, and I made sure to compliment them. Savannah told Lindsay when she woke up from her nap, "I'm a good girl, Mommy. I'm a sweetheart." She is!

The second day, we went to Jen and Jackson's house. He had been asking his mommy where "Addison Crawford" was, and so she got the kiddos together. I had so much fun with Jen, Karen, Wren, and Sue Alice while Addison played with Jack, Olivia, Micah, and Brecken. We all oohed over sweet Rowan napping in the sun, and Jen fed us the best chicken salad--a close competitor with Meredee's and Puffy Muffin.




We celebrated Maggie's 4th Birthday--that I almost forgot--on Friday, and Addison and I went to Pet Smart to pick out a present for her. A sang the Birthday song over and over all the way there and back!

We had my parents over for dinner to thank my dad for being our fabulous CPA and as a send off for their Greece trip. I made my tomato pie from last summer, and oh, the goodness of it...

Addison and I went to swimming lessons on Saturday. During the Saturdays in June, A and I are taking the "Mommy and Tot" lessons with Wren and Olivia. As much as a fish as she's been, she was a little hesitant in the "big pool." Every new activity began with a "No, No, No..." until she warmed up to it. I was glad that her buddy Olivia was there because for everyone of A's "No's," Olivia was squealing, "Yeah, yeah!" It was adorable.

Saturday night my favorite guy and I got together with some of my favorite friends and their guys to celebrate another friend's wedding. We have so much fun together, and it doesn't matter where we go, we like to shut the place down. I'm so thankful for them and for ending my fully fulfilling week with them!
Heather, me, Jen, Angie. This is me 1 day shy of 18 weeks prego--yeah, I know I'm really popping out fast this second time around...

Whew! It's been nice to have today to catch our breath and regroup. We had a filled-to-the-brim week last week, and we are loving summer. This post is going to be a recap in words and pictures...

We started the summer reading program at the library on Tuesday. We go there on Tuesdays for story time and crafts, and Addison loves it! To complete the program, we have to read 15 minutes a day for 4 weeks--a total of 300 minutes. The book-lover-nerd I am began doing these reading programs at a young age too, but as you can see from the pictures below, I am not having to pull any teeth to get this little one interested in reading. In fact, we are well into the 2nd week's worth of 75 minutes!
In the mornings, after her naps, when I'm putting her laundry away, and of course, at night, Addison pulls herself into the rocker and pulls books off her shelf, saying, "I read books! Oh boy!" I LOVE it!

We also went to 2 water play days with friends--one group from our class at church and the other with my school mommy friends. Addison had a blast at both! Unfortunately I don't have picture's from Laura Beth's house because I ambitiously took both Savannah and Addison to this one. They were both so good and obedient and sweet, but they were also equally adventurous, and I did not relax for a minute. There were these moms just relaxing watching their kids play, and I just laughed to myself, thinking "one day..." because at one point I saw Addison going head first down a waterslide (to which she replied, once she caught her breath, "That hurt me! I do it AGAIN!" Sigh...) and Savannah--across the yard--halfway up a ladder to a tree house, yelling for me, "Kiki, can you get me down from here????" Like I said, both girls were great, and I made sure to compliment them. Savannah told Lindsay when she woke up from her nap, "I'm a good girl, Mommy. I'm a sweetheart." She is!

The second day, we went to Jen and Jackson's house. He had been asking his mommy where "Addison Crawford" was, and so she got the kiddos together. I had so much fun with Jen, Karen, Wren, and Sue Alice while Addison played with Jack, Olivia, Micah, and Brecken. We all oohed over sweet Rowan napping in the sun, and Jen fed us the best chicken salad--a close competitor with Meredee's and Puffy Muffin.




We celebrated Maggie's 4th Birthday--that I almost forgot--on Friday, and Addison and I went to Pet Smart to pick out a present for her. A sang the Birthday song over and over all the way there and back!

We had my parents over for dinner to thank my dad for being our fabulous CPA and as a send off for their Greece trip. I made my tomato pie from last summer, and oh, the goodness of it...

Addison and I went to swimming lessons on Saturday. During the Saturdays in June, A and I are taking the "Mommy and Tot" lessons with Wren and Olivia. As much as a fish as she's been, she was a little hesitant in the "big pool." Every new activity began with a "No, No, No..." until she warmed up to it. I was glad that her buddy Olivia was there because for everyone of A's "No's," Olivia was squealing, "Yeah, yeah!" It was adorable.

Saturday night my favorite guy and I got together with some of my favorite friends and their guys to celebrate another friend's wedding. We have so much fun together, and it doesn't matter where we go, we like to shut the place down. I'm so thankful for them and for ending my fully fulfilling week with them!
Heather, me, Jen, Angie. This is me 1 day shy of 18 weeks prego--yeah, I know I'm really popping out fast this second time around...

Little girl love...

These 2 cousins sure do love each other. All day Monday, they kept talking about getting to see each other at the America party. It's refreshing to see such pure love, and we are excited about them growing up together!

These 2 cousins sure do love each other. All day Monday, they kept talking about getting to see each other at the America party. It's refreshing to see such pure love, and we are excited about them growing up together!

Hope deferred...

In my quiet time today, my heart lead me to a familiar verse...

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." ~Proverbs 13:12

This verse is one that I have prayed many times for friends and family...in hopes for parenthood and being blessed with children--fertility and adoption and the waiting process, love and dating with the desire for marriage, job searches and changes and fulfillment, etc... I have definitely prayed this verse for myself when I am hoping a life dream of my own will be realized. I wonder, though, if I am praying it in the right way... Are my longings the Lord's longings? I know my ways are not his ways... If I am praying in the right spirit, will he align my longings with His? I do believe that His desire for us is that our greatest hope is in Him, and so how does that translate into/relate to/connect wuth our earthy--albeit spiritually earthly--desires? So much over-thinking sometimes! In all of my theological literature, I cannot find much specificity.

I wish that King Solomon would have laid out the complete context sometimes; other times I am satisfied with this sweet morsel. I just want my prayer of the verse to be pure and real and realized.

Hope is a wonderful motivator, but longings fulfilled are sweet to the soul indeed. I pray the same for you and your hopes today!

In my quiet time today, my heart lead me to a familiar verse...

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." ~Proverbs 13:12

This verse is one that I have prayed many times for friends and family...in hopes for parenthood and being blessed with children--fertility and adoption and the waiting process, love and dating with the desire for marriage, job searches and changes and fulfillment, etc... I have definitely prayed this verse for myself when I am hoping a life dream of my own will be realized. I wonder, though, if I am praying it in the right way... Are my longings the Lord's longings? I know my ways are not his ways... If I am praying in the right spirit, will he align my longings with His? I do believe that His desire for us is that our greatest hope is in Him, and so how does that translate into/relate to/connect wuth our earthy--albeit spiritually earthly--desires? So much over-thinking sometimes! In all of my theological literature, I cannot find much specificity.

I wish that King Solomon would have laid out the complete context sometimes; other times I am satisfied with this sweet morsel. I just want my prayer of the verse to be pure and real and realized.

Hope is a wonderful motivator, but longings fulfilled are sweet to the soul indeed. I pray the same for you and your hopes today!

Lazy Morning Recaps (the Zoo!)

***Still would love book recommendations! Scroll down!***

We are enjoying our lazy mornings on this long and lovely weekend. This is what we've been up to most mornings:
We've had a fun weekend, starting off with a fun trip to the zoo with Bear, followed by grilling with friends, trips to the playground, and movie nights. We got a season pass to the zoo this year, and so far we are loving it! Here are some pictures from the zoo trip. I practiced using my zoom lense.










The older Addison gets, the more aware she is of all of her surroundings. The monkeys and zebras were still her favorites, but she excitedly named all the animals that she knew. She called the lion skin above "Baby Simba" and kept saying, "He sleeping." This time she loved the petting zoo--especially when she found the llamas. She definitely was little Miss Independent, exhausting Dad and me as she ran almost the entire time! She kept yelling back, "Come on, Bear! Come on, Mommy!" We had a blast.

***Still would love book recommendations! Scroll down!***

We are enjoying our lazy mornings on this long and lovely weekend. This is what we've been up to most mornings:
We've had a fun weekend, starting off with a fun trip to the zoo with Bear, followed by grilling with friends, trips to the playground, and movie nights. We got a season pass to the zoo this year, and so far we are loving it! Here are some pictures from the zoo trip. I practiced using my zoom lense.










The older Addison gets, the more aware she is of all of her surroundings. The monkeys and zebras were still her favorites, but she excitedly named all the animals that she knew. She called the lion skin above "Baby Simba" and kept saying, "He sleeping." This time she loved the petting zoo--especially when she found the llamas. She definitely was little Miss Independent, exhausting Dad and me as she ran almost the entire time! She kept yelling back, "Come on, Bear! Come on, Mommy!" We had a blast.

Children's Book Recommendations, anyone?

I have a little pigtailed person who LOVES to read...

Mommy, however, is getting bored with our personal library...

So, on Day 1 of summer, we headed to the library for story time. We also checked out these:This is one I haven't bought yet because I think it will be sent to us via Cousin Dolly. But she LOVES it, and interprets it in her own words. "Llama Llama scared... Llama Llama cryin... He better... Ni-night..."She loves the pictures in this one, and she really loves the octopus, but the words are too dense, so I just make up my own story, and she commentates: "Fish sharing... He give his sparkle... It shiny... It blue one... It pink one..."

And the other was a pajama party book that goes month by month.

We own some of the classics, and as a book lover, I have a budget item for Addy-books, but I don't want to just blow it. Let me know what age-appropriate books you'd recommend!

I have a little pigtailed person who LOVES to read...

Mommy, however, is getting bored with our personal library...

So, on Day 1 of summer, we headed to the library for story time. We also checked out these:This is one I haven't bought yet because I think it will be sent to us via Cousin Dolly. But she LOVES it, and interprets it in her own words. "Llama Llama scared... Llama Llama cryin... He better... Ni-night..."She loves the pictures in this one, and she really loves the octopus, but the words are too dense, so I just make up my own story, and she commentates: "Fish sharing... He give his sparkle... It shiny... It blue one... It pink one..."

And the other was a pajama party book that goes month by month.

We own some of the classics, and as a book lover, I have a budget item for Addy-books, but I don't want to just blow it. Let me know what age-appropriate books you'd recommend!

Addison's Eagle's Nest

The Early Childhood Program at school is named the Eagle's Nest, a fitting name since IHS's mascot is the eagle. Addison loves spending her days here during the school year (except for her favorite day of the week, Wednesday, which she spends with her Jaydee and Savannah). I like it too. I see her everyday when they go on walks and when she wakes up from her nap.

I've written about how I love my job; this program enables me to love it. I know that Addison is happy and loved and that she's just a stone's throw away from Mommy. A happy Addy makes a happy Mommy.

One of her sweet teachers, Miss Caitlyn, made us a cd of pictures from the year. We sure will miss her when she goes away to college next year!

This free digital slideshow personalized with Smilebox

The Early Childhood Program at school is named the Eagle's Nest, a fitting name since IHS's mascot is the eagle. Addison loves spending her days here during the school year (except for her favorite day of the week, Wednesday, which she spends with her Jaydee and Savannah). I like it too. I see her everyday when they go on walks and when she wakes up from her nap.

I've written about how I love my job; this program enables me to love it. I know that Addison is happy and loved and that she's just a stone's throw away from Mommy. A happy Addy makes a happy Mommy.

One of her sweet teachers, Miss Caitlyn, made us a cd of pictures from the year. We sure will miss her when she goes away to college next year!

This free digital slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Sawyer Daniel

Can't believe my sweet nephew is already 1 week old. I also can't believe I haven't seen him since Friday. Gonna have to change that tomorrow!

Sawyer Daniel was born May 18th at 1:08 weighing 7 pounds and 8 ounces and measuring 20 inches. To me, he is the boy version of Savannah, another perfect mixture of Lindsay and Daniel.

I had the responsibility of getting Big Sis from school and taking her to the hospital to meet her brother. It was a fun ride, that's for sure. Here are some pictures!

We love our new cousin/nephew!

Can't believe my sweet nephew is already 1 week old. I also can't believe I haven't seen him since Friday. Gonna have to change that tomorrow!

Sawyer Daniel was born May 18th at 1:08 weighing 7 pounds and 8 ounces and measuring 20 inches. To me, he is the boy version of Savannah, another perfect mixture of Lindsay and Daniel.

I had the responsibility of getting Big Sis from school and taking her to the hospital to meet her brother. It was a fun ride, that's for sure. Here are some pictures!

We love our new cousin/nephew!

Title: "Mrs. Crawford Flipped Me the Bird"

An essay with this title lay on my desk Monday afternoon when I returned from break. My first, thought, "What? Did I? Could I have possibly...without knowing it?" Then I saw the author, sighed to myself, and thought, "Well... I might have... you know... scratched my nose with my middle finger... just to make a point..."

Nervously reading on, I uncovered a heartfelt reflection of her high school experience written by a student whom I will always remember fondly. A witty smart aleck. A creative soul. A lover of words. She will be a student who will always brag about how she passed my class without reading a single novel I assigned--well, all except one; one who came back to my class in years following during her study halls to listen and contribute, to bug me, to ask for essay help or recommendation letters, to help me organize or file, to just walk and talk when she was going through a rough time. I will remember her as a student who overcame adversity to achieve high academic honors, as a student who blossomed through her maturity with language, as a student who made me laugh and smile and roll my eyes and even scratch my nose with my middle finger. She graduates next Saturday and, like so many peers in her class, has the world before her. I find myself a little nostalgically jealous about that fact. She is truly going to be somebody.

It's that time of year again--the hustle and bustle of last minute grades, the influx of essays that have yet to be graded, the pressures of state and AP testing, students on the border of passing or failing. It's enough to make me want to pull my hair out.

This morning, Kris and I tucked in our 80 AP students who are taking the exam--complete with their "Good Luck" goody bags, their essay cheat sheets, their enthusiastic reminders that "All Roads Lead to TONE!" And I feel completion. Seeing each one of them arrive at the testing site gave me a feeling of pride. Watching them become Seniors will make me even prouder.

I'm thankful that even while I want to pull my hair out with all of my last-minute stressors, I feel thankful, blessed, fulfilled, content in my job. I love it.

In my last post, I wrote about how being a mother is one of the greatest blessings in my life. It is so true. I want to add that being a teacher is up there on my list as well.

(The last sentence of my student's essay read, "And as for the title, I totally deserved it.")

An essay with this title lay on my desk Monday afternoon when I returned from break. My first, thought, "What? Did I? Could I have possibly...without knowing it?" Then I saw the author, sighed to myself, and thought, "Well... I might have... you know... scratched my nose with my middle finger... just to make a point..."

Nervously reading on, I uncovered a heartfelt reflection of her high school experience written by a student whom I will always remember fondly. A witty smart aleck. A creative soul. A lover of words. She will be a student who will always brag about how she passed my class without reading a single novel I assigned--well, all except one; one who came back to my class in years following during her study halls to listen and contribute, to bug me, to ask for essay help or recommendation letters, to help me organize or file, to just walk and talk when she was going through a rough time. I will remember her as a student who overcame adversity to achieve high academic honors, as a student who blossomed through her maturity with language, as a student who made me laugh and smile and roll my eyes and even scratch my nose with my middle finger. She graduates next Saturday and, like so many peers in her class, has the world before her. I find myself a little nostalgically jealous about that fact. She is truly going to be somebody.

It's that time of year again--the hustle and bustle of last minute grades, the influx of essays that have yet to be graded, the pressures of state and AP testing, students on the border of passing or failing. It's enough to make me want to pull my hair out.

This morning, Kris and I tucked in our 80 AP students who are taking the exam--complete with their "Good Luck" goody bags, their essay cheat sheets, their enthusiastic reminders that "All Roads Lead to TONE!" And I feel completion. Seeing each one of them arrive at the testing site gave me a feeling of pride. Watching them become Seniors will make me even prouder.

I'm thankful that even while I want to pull my hair out with all of my last-minute stressors, I feel thankful, blessed, fulfilled, content in my job. I love it.

In my last post, I wrote about how being a mother is one of the greatest blessings in my life. It is so true. I want to add that being a teacher is up there on my list as well.

(The last sentence of my student's essay read, "And as for the title, I totally deserved it.")

Mother's Day Loot

I truly love being a mom. I count it as one of my greatest blessings and could go on and on about it. I also think that my mom is the best one out there--just like most of you. The more life I experience, the more I realize that I want to be just like her. Our Sunday celebration was special and wonderful, but we shared all the sentimental stuff with each other personally. On here, I just want to share my loot! :)

At school Addison made me a picture with her handprints and a poem on it. It was crazy to see how much bigger her hands are this year than they were last year at this time. Patrick organized cards to give me from him, Addison, and the baby, and all were so sweet. He and Addison also gave me this:

I was sort of over my former phone, the blackberry pearl. Over the course of 2 years, being constantly accessible to the world had lost its luster. Thankfully, our loyalty to tmobile keeps us from being tempted into the iphone world, but nevertheless, I needed a new phone. Addison helped out my cause by repeatedly dropping my phone on concrete... so, Friday night, we went out and picked out this and I LOVE IT!

Patrick and Addison also gave me a gift certificate for a pedicure which I can't wait to treat myself to. Any new OPI recommendations? My fallback favorite is "20 candles on my cake," but I'd like to try something new this time. (P.S., these are not my toes... just a pic I found.)

My mom gave me the new James Dobson book on Bringing up Girls which I know I will read, earmark, and reread in all of the years to come. (BTW, I am currently reading Parenting by the Book by John Rosemond, and I HIGHLY recommend it!)

Hope all you ladies had a special day of honor!

I truly love being a mom. I count it as one of my greatest blessings and could go on and on about it. I also think that my mom is the best one out there--just like most of you. The more life I experience, the more I realize that I want to be just like her. Our Sunday celebration was special and wonderful, but we shared all the sentimental stuff with each other personally. On here, I just want to share my loot! :)

At school Addison made me a picture with her handprints and a poem on it. It was crazy to see how much bigger her hands are this year than they were last year at this time. Patrick organized cards to give me from him, Addison, and the baby, and all were so sweet. He and Addison also gave me this:

I was sort of over my former phone, the blackberry pearl. Over the course of 2 years, being constantly accessible to the world had lost its luster. Thankfully, our loyalty to tmobile keeps us from being tempted into the iphone world, but nevertheless, I needed a new phone. Addison helped out my cause by repeatedly dropping my phone on concrete... so, Friday night, we went out and picked out this and I LOVE IT!

Patrick and Addison also gave me a gift certificate for a pedicure which I can't wait to treat myself to. Any new OPI recommendations? My fallback favorite is "20 candles on my cake," but I'd like to try something new this time. (P.S., these are not my toes... just a pic I found.)

My mom gave me the new James Dobson book on Bringing up Girls which I know I will read, earmark, and reread in all of the years to come. (BTW, I am currently reading Parenting by the Book by John Rosemond, and I HIGHLY recommend it!)

Hope all you ladies had a special day of honor!

Saver's Weekend

I'm so excited! My great friend April (from here) is married to Patrick's great friend Jeremy, and he organized this workshop tomorrow! I'm going with my friend Jen (Jack's mom from here), and we look forward to learning some great money-saving tips. Jenny began the popular website Southern Savers which is one of the most streamlined, helpful websites I've referenced.


If you in the Nashville area and interested in going, she'll be at Brentwood Baptist tomorrow morning from 9-12. Proceeds from tickets are going to help flood victims. You can buy them here!

Hope to be back soon with all the new things I've learned.

I'm so excited! My great friend April (from here) is married to Patrick's great friend Jeremy, and he organized this workshop tomorrow! I'm going with my friend Jen (Jack's mom from here), and we look forward to learning some great money-saving tips. Jenny began the popular website Southern Savers which is one of the most streamlined, helpful websites I've referenced.


If you in the Nashville area and interested in going, she'll be at Brentwood Baptist tomorrow morning from 9-12. Proceeds from tickets are going to help flood victims. You can buy them here!

Hope to be back soon with all the new things I've learned.

Our neck of the woods...

This weekend has been scary...to say the least. The entire Nashville, middle Tennessee area is virtually under water. For the past 48 waters, we have received over 13 inches of rain, and the quickness of this rainfall has devastated our geography. This video is from downtown Franklin, in the back yard of Patrick's office.

Our home is ok, but the roads around us are immersed in water--some even ripped apart by the flood damage. We are homebound for now, and I am out of school tomorrow. We are in a declared state of emergency and have had a curfew enforced. Please take a minute and pray for all of the families who have lost their homes during this widespread disaster.

"God is our refuge and our shelter,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
so we will not fear, even if
earthquakes come and mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the ocean roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge."
~Psalm 46:1-3

Meanwhile, before things got too bad and unbeknownst to us, we trekked out to Murfreesboro. Leaving our neighborhood, we heard tornado sirens blaring. As we got on the road, we listened to the weather and learned that we were being chased by a tornadic storm--about 5 miles behind us and heading in our direct path. We reached our destination, forgot about our troubles temporarily, and as we were leaving 2 hours later, a neighbor reported that there had been 2 touchdowns in nearby areas. We were barely able to get home. Two hours worth of sheetlike rain had produced floodwaters reaching up to surrounding homes' front porches. Who knew things could get so dangerously bad so quickly...

Our trip was all worth it, though, because we got to celebrate this little guy turning 2! Jackson is one of Addison's best buddies at school, and we had a blast at his Circus Birthday.

Jen went all out--with this clown picture op, a jumping machine, a ball machine, pin-the-tail on the donkey, and all sorts of circus-like games. With the inclement weather, she transformed her garage into party-central. Party snacks included popcorn and peanuts, cotton candy, gumballs, fresh-squeezed lemonade, and more--all packaged in theme appropriate, personalized containers. She really set the bar!

Addison wasn't too sure what to think at first, but she soon let loose and ran around with her school buddies. She LOVED jumping and playing in the balls. This morning she woke up and said, "I want Jack's house." It was fun!
Just one of Jen's snack stations. Se cute and so creative! We were thankful to have something fun to celebrate during this otherwise dismal weekend.

This weekend has been scary...to say the least. The entire Nashville, middle Tennessee area is virtually under water. For the past 48 waters, we have received over 13 inches of rain, and the quickness of this rainfall has devastated our geography. This video is from downtown Franklin, in the back yard of Patrick's office.

Our home is ok, but the roads around us are immersed in water--some even ripped apart by the flood damage. We are homebound for now, and I am out of school tomorrow. We are in a declared state of emergency and have had a curfew enforced. Please take a minute and pray for all of the families who have lost their homes during this widespread disaster.

"God is our refuge and our shelter,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
so we will not fear, even if
earthquakes come and mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the ocean roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge."
~Psalm 46:1-3

Meanwhile, before things got too bad and unbeknownst to us, we trekked out to Murfreesboro. Leaving our neighborhood, we heard tornado sirens blaring. As we got on the road, we listened to the weather and learned that we were being chased by a tornadic storm--about 5 miles behind us and heading in our direct path. We reached our destination, forgot about our troubles temporarily, and as we were leaving 2 hours later, a neighbor reported that there had been 2 touchdowns in nearby areas. We were barely able to get home. Two hours worth of sheetlike rain had produced floodwaters reaching up to surrounding homes' front porches. Who knew things could get so dangerously bad so quickly...

Our trip was all worth it, though, because we got to celebrate this little guy turning 2! Jackson is one of Addison's best buddies at school, and we had a blast at his Circus Birthday.

Jen went all out--with this clown picture op, a jumping machine, a ball machine, pin-the-tail on the donkey, and all sorts of circus-like games. With the inclement weather, she transformed her garage into party-central. Party snacks included popcorn and peanuts, cotton candy, gumballs, fresh-squeezed lemonade, and more--all packaged in theme appropriate, personalized containers. She really set the bar!

Addison wasn't too sure what to think at first, but she soon let loose and ran around with her school buddies. She LOVED jumping and playing in the balls. This morning she woke up and said, "I want Jack's house." It was fun!
Just one of Jen's snack stations. Se cute and so creative! We were thankful to have something fun to celebrate during this otherwise dismal weekend.