Chase BIG Smile for mommy...

I was working on Chase's birthday invites, late, yes I know, but I have absolutely no time. Anyway, I had no good pictures of him looking at me smiling. You can tell I've been slacking in the photo department, I didn't have hardly any recent ones of him. So today I attempted to take a few shots, just fun, nothing overly special.

I tried to coax him into giving mommy a BIG smile, show mommy your teeth. This is the result.
And one of the winners! I was actually able to get about five good smiles.

Oh so yummy green smoothies

Someone besides me enjoys my green smoothies.
More please. Looks as if a chunk of banana from this smoothie made it to his chin too.

Just so tired....

I have so many posts lingering in the back unpublished but by the time I get done, I have no energy to edit the photos that go with. There are so many wonderful, memorable posts just waiting for me to hit "publish" but I so can't without photos, just not the same. Eventually, maybe tonight, we'll see.

We're getting down to the wire with just 5 weeks or 38 days to go, as my little baby countdown reminds me everyday. So much to do and so little time.

The past two weeks have been exhausting between out trip to D.C., having an awful cold and now preparing the baby's room. I remember this time with Chase, his room was painted and all his clothes put away in his dresser. His little brother, not so much. His room is actually worse off than Chase's ever was, well at least Chase had carpet in his. I tore out the carpet in the office over a year ago and we purchased laminate wood flooring to replace.

So far I am getting there with the baby's room, the paint color was picked out, which is half the battle most of the time. And I happy to say that the one I chose was the one I used. First time, I think, that I didn't take it back to get adjusted. But after painting the walls it was too "baby" for me so I've added my own flare. Pictures of before and after will soon come, but first the "after" must be completed. A much harder task with a 2 year old to entertain.

I feel bad when I have to tape and paint, like I am denying Chase some good mommy time but I try to involve him too, which is interesting. But after tomorrow the last bit of paint will be completed and Brad will start to put the floor down. Then we can start putting together the furniture. Soon enough it will be complete. Now to organize all the "stuff" that was in that room and what to do with it. I foresee purging more in my future...office stuff, odds and ends, toys and the list goes on. Just when I thought I was doing well.

Just so tired...by the end of the day I am whipped. Between work, keeping up with housework, baby preparations, lia sophia, enjoying the outdoors...well I am just pooped. But no complaining, I am thankful I have all of the above, just really ready for the room to be done.

I guess instead of this post I could have edited some pictures. Maybe I will do just that.

Yes, it's finally happening...

No, not me going in labor. Ha. But rather Brad and I are finally going to get away for a few days. Last February we attempted to go to Niagara Falls but Chase got really sick and I wasn't about to leave him, no matter how good Nonnie's are. And then this past December we were supposed to go to NYC for a couple of days, and well that was during the time when Sierra was sick and failing. So to say the least, we have not had our date time yet. I guess with baby #2 coming in just 8 weeks, I've been itching for some mommy and daddy time before there is no more "me" time or "us" time.

On a whim last week I decided we should go to Washington D.C., someplace Brad has always wanted to go and I haven't been in 15 years. And this time there is no backing out. I took a chance and did priceline.com and named my price. Pretty interesting and kind of scary. I did some research for two whole days trying to find the best deal, best reviews etc. and then on a whim did priceline.com. Crazy, huh? All my research and thoughts were out the window. We are staying in a 4-star hotel in Arlington, VA for only $80 a night. Not bad I thought, but I wished I went less, but I'll take it. When it was accepted, I immediately was like, oh boy, what did I just do? I guess it was the absolute of our trip and there was no changing our hotel. It's this upscale, modern hotel, Hotel Palomar. No continental breakfast, but they have a very nice restaurant, which I am sure we won't be eating at because it's outrageous.

Right now I am planning our itinerary for our trip. We have many stops that are mandatory and a few we would like to see. But with only two full days and two half days we are limited with time. So far we are going to the Holocaust Museum, The National Archives, Bureau of Engraving, Air and Space Museum, Museum of American History, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Washington Monument and on the last day, the Arlington Cemetery. That's it for now but I am not done planning.

I am very excited but kind of nervous too. We've never left little man and I know he'll be fine but I'm still nervous and already missing him.

I hope it's as nice as these pictures.

I am still here...

Wow it's been almost a month since my last post. I haven't ever gone that long since I started blogging. Well, I guess a computer that went kaput and the last minute decision to do a Bridal Show for lia sophia, really messed up my blogging and time. Actually, it has and it hasn't. I did start about five posts but my other computer kept freezing up whenever I would access my photo programs. So they are behind the scenes until I get the pictures off my camera. Hopefully this week.

But in the past few weeks we've had some major milestones happen in our house...#1. Chase is now in a toddler bed. And yes, there is a story behind the first few days of that. Again, a post started but behind the scenes. And #2. Using the potty. Just out of the blue he decided he wanted to use it and every time before bed. Can you say excited? It's been interesting still.

Tonight I am ready for bed, Chase's molars are coming in and he was sporting a fever all night last night and today. Brad and I took turns with him last night and again today. Thankfully he is feeling better and sleeping, as of right now.

As for me, I am tired and feeling oh so very HUGE. I just feel like my stomach has stretched twice the size in one night. I am not looking forward to another 9 weeks, I just get sooo big and ugh. Maybe I will psych myself into going a few weeks early, maybe the end of April. I don't have any lia sophia shows booked that week so that just might work. :) Plus they say babies get bigger so at two weeks early, I should have maybe a 9lber. Goodness, and that is small for me. Geez.

Chase being a big brother

Last night while we were up going through the bedtime routine with Chase, he decided to explore a little in his room and came upon a binky on his shelf. He brought it to me and put it to his mouth asking, more or less, if he could suck on it. I told him "No", that those are for babies, it is for his baby brother.

So he comes over to me, lifts my shirt to show my belly and puts the binky in my belly button and says "baby brother." And proceeds to make a sucking sound with his lips. It was too stinkin' cute.

He pretty much thinks my belly button is his baby brother. It's funny because he really has no clue how much his world is going to change in a few months. He always talks about his baby brother but you know he has no clue.

What a day that will be...

Fun with friends...

I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to go part-time at my job and spend those days off with my little one, and someday I will even have more days to spend with him and his little bro. It seems though that my days off are used catching up on housework and playing, but last week we had some busy, fun-filled days. Including a play date with Gracie at the Indoor Playground and then dinner too. Jeff and Katie were introduced to our homemade pizza. We did one for the boys, pepperoni and cheese and then I made a special one for Katie and I, white pizza with chicken, broccoli, green peppers and onions, oh and yes, it was half whole wheat flour. I forgot to get pictures but they were delicious, I thought.

The kids playing on the "train" table converted to the Little People table. It's more fun to play on the table with the Little People. While we enjoyed our pizza, we were trying to keep an ear on what Chase and Gracie were doing. It's been a long-time since Gracie's been over to visit so she was totally into checking out all of Chase's toys, of course. It's so funny watching them play together, there such little people. One of their favorite toys of the evening was Chase's Tonka dump truck, it was a perfect "riding" toy.

Chase pushing Gracie. He was so careful and going slow and turning to be sure not to hit anything. Such a gentleman.

Gracie looks a little bored....Now Gracie on the other hand needed "soft" walls (notice Brad's hand and legs) as she pushed Chase. She was fast and crazy. I wonder where she gets her driving from. Or maybe she watches too many races with daddy on Sunday. But Chase was having fun.

Saturday we had a day with family for Chase's cousin CJ's 5th birthday. He always gets excited to see his cousins, Ella and CJ. They are so much fun now that they are all older and can interact and play. And of course Chase was his shyself in the beginning for about 15 minutes, then it was time to check out all CJ's toys, he has all kinds of toys and more big boy toys. Since the party was during Chase's nap time we kind of switched the day around a bit. We had a lot of running around to do, so we did it in the morning and he napped on the way, 30 minutes. Then of course our running around played into lunchtime so at the party he ate as he played.

After some yummy, runny :) ice cream cake, we played some more and then it was time to go. We knew he would crash as soon as we hit the road, and we were right, we were not even more than 30 seconds down the road and he was out. It's so funny how he is the energizer bunny until we stop him and then he crashes. Thankfully we were able to keep him asleep once we got home, for a little while at least.

Sunday we had our normal Sunday morning church with a nice, relaxing afternoon, just how I like my Sunday afternoons. Doing absolutely nothing, except maybe a little cleaning or lia sophia work. I really do not like doing anything on Sunday afternoons since we have church in the morning, get Chase home for his nap which he usually zonks out on the way home and then church again in the evening. I just like to relax.

On Monday, President's Day, I had off so we planned an impromptu play date with Katie, Jessica and my sis to Bounce it Out. Sounded like a great idea and my sister would be able to go with the kids. Yeah, well I think every other parent that had it off thought the same thing. Can you say kids, kids, kids everywhere. Now that's all great and dandy unless you have a 21 month old who loves to play on all of the inflatables. But when there are big, rambunctious kids surrounding him and really don't have much regard for others, it was a stressful hour and a half. Now there were some sweet kids out there but others are just plain rude and mean. So to say the least, it was hard trying to keep Chase to the two 3 and under inflatables when he knows that there are bigger and better ones out there.

He absolutely loves the big, HUGE slide there. He can't do it by himself so his cousin Makayla helped him, but frankly it's quite difficult to go up so Aunt B had to help too. He is so hilarious and such a thrill seeker. He wanted to keep going down, of course. After about the third time and some big kid's knee about 6 inches from Chase's head, I said enough to the big slide and back to the "baby" inflatables.

Chase absolutely adores his cousin Makayla. He reached out to hold her hand.
A time came when we all needed to get a drink so we stepped out to where the bags were to get a drink. Chase had one sip and then said, "More play." He was so thirsty but just wanted to play. But finally after about an hour and half we decided it was time to go. Chase was exhausted as was I. Just the stress of keeping him from getting run over and then climbing into some of the bounce houses to rescue him was enough for me. But he does like it there so much that we will definitely plan another play date when all the big kids are in school.

Enjoying PB&J in the car afterwards. He so is not tired.

So delightful...

the juice from my new juicer that is. Oh I didn't know juicing could be so much fun...and expensive. Well, I knew it was expensive, so many fruits and veggies needed for one cup of juice but there is nothing better than fresh, real juice. I've never experienced juice so yummy before. And the foam that is sets on top is fabulous.

Our very first juicing experience was an orange-apple juice, two oranges and two apples. It was delish. Chase loved it too, he kept saying..."more mommy juice." So the first juice with my new juicer was shared with my little man. But that is normal for me anyway. When I make smoothies in the morning, he must also have some too which is fine with me since they are healthy. Mommy and Chase enjoying our first fresh, real juice together.

Saturday all three of us enjoyed a Pineapple Basic juice which consisted of 1/2 pineapple, an apple, 3 carrots and a stick of celery. This one too was delicious. I wanted to conserve our pineapple so I only used a 1/4 of a pineapple, but I should've used more because it tasted more carrot, but good nonetheless.

Tomorrow morning menu will be a Green Citrus juice consisting of spinach, celery and oranges. I'm hoping I will like it, never had one with spinach before. We'll see...

My Special Day...

Today was my special day, my special birthday day, a monumental birthday, I am no longer in my 20's. Ouch. Well, really it's ok because age is nothing but a number, you are only as old as you feel and act.

But in all seriousness it was actually one of my best birthdays. It started out with my little man saying "Happy Birthday mommy" clear as day. Daddy and him were practicing while I was in the shower. That was the best.

I wasn't sure how cruel everyone at work was going to be since everyone in my department knew it was a special birthday. I was half expecting my face planted all over the building and possibly even black balloons in my cube. But thankfully...nothing. There are no good picures of me at work so I am thankful they didn't go that route and as for the balloons, that's ok. As with all the other birthdays we celebrate, they had cake and a card for me, actually cupcakes, which were delicious. And the card was hiliarious, all about turning 30.

As I was getting ready to leave everyone was asking me what the big plans were for my birthday. I had no idea. I didn't know what Brad had planned. So being who I am, I called him up and said I wasn't making dinner, I shouldn't have to cook on my birthday. That was my way of trying to fish out his plans. He was like ok, what do you want to do, where do you want to go. At this point I knew nothing was planned so I had to plan it. Which is kind of how we do things anyways. It's my birthday we'll go wherever I want to go. But since it was a dinner date on a whim, we didn't have many choices because we had to stay somewhat close so we could get Chase back home in time for bed.

After chit chatting at work we got talking about Carvel ice cream cakes, which Brad's side of the family does for every birthday. Then it led into Coldstone Creamery which I have never been too. So I mentioned it to Brad that we should grab dinner and then go there which meant wherever we ate needed to be near a Coldstone. Finally we decided on Uno's and being that this little impromptu birthday outing wasn't in the budget, I got thinking...hmmmm, it's my birthday, I wonder if I get something special. So I pulled up Uno's website and joined their club and viola! in my email I got a coupon for a FREE entree because it was my birthday. Hey, I may get picked on for being cheap or frugal but all I have to say is that Brad ordered an $18 steak and it was FREE. So no shame here. We were able to be a blessing to our waitress and leave her a tip based on what it would have been, we aren't cheap there, unless they are just awful.

We had so much fun. Chase colored, well we colored of course while we ate. Chase is so good whenever we go out. We stopped and got him some chicken nuggets and apples at Mcd's because I wasn't sure what was on their kid's menu and I knew he was hungry right then. So he ate some on the way and finished while we waited for our food.

After dinner we headed to Coldstone Creamery to get my ice cream cake. And of course I joined their club too and received $3 off a cake. Thank goodness I did because they were not cheap which I had a feeling they wouldn't be, but that's ok it was my birthday, right? Instead of the traditional birthday ice cream cake I picked out the Oreo Ice Cream Cake. Yum. Yum. Of course Chase saw the half Oreo cookies on the top and said...Chase need cookie. And yes, Chase got a cookie.

As soon as we got home it was bedtime for Chase so he didn't get cake but he did have the cookies so he was happy. Brad cut our two slices and put a candle on top for me and sang Happy Birthday. And yes I did get my juicer. :)

On a smoothie kick...

So it seems every time I am pregnant I get on a smoothie kick and have to have one just about every morning. I have a great smoothie book but sometimes/usually I don't have all the ingredients so I've been making smoothies out of whatever I am in the mood for. So far I have come up with two of my own that are very yummy and pretty filling. Since I never measure, it's kind of a taste testing. Sometimes it feels like I am making a catch all soup, whatever sounds good, but a smoothie instead.

My two favorites so far is a yummy Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie and my own version of an Orange Julius. Chase loves both and they are really pretty good for him.

So what's in a Peanut Butter Smoothie?
Again, since I don't measure, the following are just guessing and eyeing.

2 Tbs or so of Peanut Butter, preferably JIF. :)
1/3 cup of All Natural Yogurt. I used Vanilla but would rather use Plain, less sugar.
1/2 to whole banana
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of milk, all depends on how thick you want it to be.
Squirt of Hershey's chocolate syrup, tsp or so. Only if you want a hint of chocolate flavor.

Blend all together.

Depending on the exact ingredients you use this can be pretty low-fat, low-sugar or the exact opposite. When I make it for Chase, I use full-fat pb and whole milk, same for me except for 2% milk. It is pretty filling since it is packed with protein and a banana.

Now on to the Salatino Orange Julius.

I do enjoy orange juice but I have never been able to drink a glass of it, maybe 2 oz. or so at a time, it always gives me a bellyache. So while I was making our Sunday breakfast, french toast this week, I decided I wanted some OJ and an Orange Julius popped in my head. Now those of you that have ever had an Orange Julius know just how delightful they are and I wanted one but really had no idea what was in them. But figured I could come up with something.

Salatino Orange Julius

10 or so ice cubes
1/2 cup to cup of milk
1/2 cup or so of orange juice, preferably with pulp
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of plain or vanilla yogurt
3-4 slices of an orange
1/2 tsp. or so of orange peel

Blend all together.

It turns out with a yummy froth on top. Both boys enjoyed this yummy concoction with their french toast.

I just googled Orange Julius recipe and mine is nothing like the recipes I found. I know mine isn't as thick but it tastes more fresh. I guess you could put a whole orange in but I saved it for lunch and used orange peel to give it more orange flavor.

Both smoothies obviously can be adapted to your own tastes, stronger PB flavor or more orange flavor, either way they are both yummy and you should try them.

Drop me a comment if you get a chance to try one of these, if you so dare.

I wonder what I will make tomorrow, I have a whole pineapple waiting to be cut, maybe pineapple....

Some food for thought...

Literally. Ever since Chase was born I have tried to keep him on a healthy eating habit. I made most of his baby food, as much as I could, and didn't give him hardly any processed foods, especially anything with high fructose corn syrup. I looked that up once and wow, so bad.


Chase enjoying his homemade squash for the first time. I've never been a real extreme healthy eater, I drink lots of water and get my fruits and sometimes veggies but I am a craver of all things bad...salt and sugar, and I hate it. I have a awful sweet tooth and contribute it to my childhood. I remember as a kid buying candy in bulk and my childhood friend and I chowing it down like there was no tomorrow. I know all kids eat candy but we ate a lot. And I do believe that's half of my adult cravings, it started when I was young, oh and my cavities show for it too.

So my sweet tooth made me decide to limit Chase's intake of processed foods and sugar, unnatural sugar like in cookies, candy, etc. And I try to give him most foods that are natural without all the preservatives. I have now become an addict of reading ingredients, on everything, the less the better. I've been real good about limiting his sugar intake but I do feel like it's going to get harder as the he gets older. Well, I know it will and it doesn't help having it in the house for Brad and I.

I have partially decided that I want to cleanse our house of junk. We're really not that bad, no chips just cookies for Brad and ice cream for both of us. Oh and Brad drinks a coke a day too. Oh and my goodness cereal, we really need to limit in that area, talk about craving carbs. We're both cereal eaters and sometimes not the good ones like Cheerios or Shredded Wheat. That will be painful.

It kind of sounds like we're big junk food eaters but really we're not. Our dinners are almost always from scratch and pretty healthy and our lunches now consist of sandwiches, leftovers, mozzarella sticks, fruit, yogurt etc. I am not buying anymore frozen meals, well maybe one or two for those "in an extreme hurry" days.

I want to feel good and kill the cravings now, for good. I have been trying not to buy a lot of processed foods and more fruit, veggies, meats, whole-wheat bread and pasta, or whole grain, etc. As I was making pies tonight for our church's sportsman dinner I was curious of the ingredients in everything I was using to make the Banana Split Pie. Let's see..

• Vanilla pudding, first ingredient...sugar;
• Cool Whip...corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup;
• Maraschino Cherries...high fructose corn syrup;
• Chocolate syrup...high fructose corn syrup.

The only ingredients that were pretty natural was the crushed pineapple in pear juice concentrate, bananas and my homemade pie crusts, even with all the shortening. :) But I was amazed as to what was in all my favorite things...high fructose corn syrup. I'm sure it will be a delicious pie but I have no desire for a bite, I mean of course I do, but it wouldn't be as pleasurable.

All that being said, I will be slowly be transitioning myself to low almost no processed foods. If I can get Brad partially on board it will be so beneficial to him, me and our whole family. I kind of asked for a juicer for my b'day to help me get started on the right track.

I know I will fall off the wagon sometimes but if I don't at least start somewhere or try, I'll always struggle. I must beat the battle with sugar and get some will power. After my b'day I plan to go on a no processed, sugar food cleanse, all healthy natural foods for at least a week. Yes, that means cutting sweets for a week, this has NEVER been done and I fear for those around me. Thankfully I don't have to worry about cutting caffeine because that's not in my diet but sugar, well...

And don't worry I plan on being very healthy and eating well for myself and the baby. I might have to figure a way to increase the grocery budget because fruits/veggies are so much more. No wonder there is so much processed food out there. Have you ever just looked around at the grocery store and taken in all the processed stuff that surrounds you? Amazing.


Here's to trying to eat more healthy and cleansing our family of most processed foods, not all, because there's just some conveniences you need. I guess my word for the year will be perfect for this endeavor...prayer.

(I write this after eating a piece of fresh homemade apple pie and 1/2 cup of chocolate, chocolate ice cream. I have until next week, so no guilt yet, well just partial guilt.)

The newest Salatino Chef & recipe

While I was making dinner the other night, Chase decided he wanted to cook too. So he crawled into the pots and pans cupboard and pulled out every frying pan and then ventured over to the cupboard. He decided that it would be a Mexican night and pulled out some hard tacos.

"Chase cook", he says.

Every cook must taste test his work...

This has almost become a regular thing now when I am cooking/baking. He either pulls out every pot and pan or the bowls, teaspoons and measuring cups. When I was making Touchdown Brownie cups last night he wanted to "help". So on the counter he went and I gave him a couple of measuring cups with about 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in each and a two teaspoons to stir his creation. And of course he had to taste test the sugar too.

While I'm cooking/baking, I try to tell him what I am doing. He's so cute because when I stop cooking and start cleaning up, he always "Mommy cook."

But now for the Potato Soup recipe as promised...

This was in one of my Quick Cooking magazines and I've been wanting to make potato soup all winter so when I came across this, I thought it was perfect. It is ready to eat in 30 minutes or less, perfect for the days I work.

I was a little skeptical because it calls for Swiss cheese and Brad hates Swiss cheese, but the cook's caption said that even those who don't like Swiss cheese like this soup...so I decided I was going to make it anyway.

I have this great little dicer thingy that my father-in-law got for me a couple of Christmas's ago. When I opened it, I was like, ok I'll never use this since I dice my own stuff. Well, let me tell you, I have used many times over. It's so fast and convenient and it worked wonderfully for this soup.

The soup came out absolutely delish and even better as leftovers.

Disclaimer: I don't necessarily measure the spices exactly, I am more of a taste tester. But I did generally follow the exact recipe below.

Chunky Potato Soup Recipe

"The first time I made this creamy satisfying soup, it instantly became our family's favorite," recalls Stephanie Moon-Martin of Bremerton, Washington. "It is perfect on chilly days. Even those who don't normally like Swiss cheese savor this delicious soup."

7 Servings

Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients
4 medium potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cubed
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 small carrot, chopped
1/4 cup chopped celery
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter, cubed
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2-1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese

Directions
In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, onion, carrot, celery and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender; lightly mash.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir into potato mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add parsley, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until melted. Yield: 7 servings.


Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 283 calories, 12 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 39 mg cholesterol, 599 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 11 g protein.

Also found here http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Chunky-Potato-Soup-3

Bon Appetite!!!

Since Chase wouldn't try it, something we work on daily, trying different foods. Why are toddlers so picky and weird about textures, etc. It can be very frustrating. But I always ask him to try or put some on his lips which he pursues to spit out as if I am poisoning him. Another day, another topic.

Well, since he wouldn't eat the soup he had potato popcorn bites or he calls them, balls. Plus some peas and fruit. And apparently Elmo wanted a potato ball too.