Everyone loves a Snowday...

Two feet of snow, Daddy's home from work, chili in the crock pot and 35 degrees outside....perfect for a snowday!

 

 

Nothing to use for his eyes, so used beer bottle caps (custom-made for Spencer by my brother and sister-in law!)...figures.

Christmas 2012

We were so blessed this Christmas....even though it's been a crazy couple of months (welcoming a new baby, buying and selling a house, a trip to Florida, and Spencer's busy season at work), we managed to get in some quality family time this holiday season. We celebrated in Indy, Muncie and Ft. Wayne and loved that we were able to introduce Paige to all of our extended family. Christmas was definitely more fun with CE this year....we did the whole nine yards: Elf on the Shelf (which she HATED! "I no yike that Shelf"), Christmas cookies for Santa, and a big Christmas morning surprise...which may or not have been a 12-foot inflatable bounce house that takes up half of our basement and we said we would never buy! She loves it, and we justified it by telling ourselves that it's good exercise for her during the winter months. Her other fav gifts: Doc McStuffins doll and doctor's kit, cash register (with a working conveyor belt, what?!), Dentist Play-Doh set, two new Melissa and Doug sets, a tricycle and new bedtime books. Merry Christmas!

 

 



 

 

 

 

Goodies for Santa and his reindeer!

Doc McStuffins!

That's my girl!

Paige Abigail, Christmas 2012

Claire Elizabeth, Christmas 2010

Two Months Old!

Our growing girl is really starting to come out of her shell and is full of smiles at two months old! She weighed in at 10lbs 4oz and 21 1/2 inches long at her check-up (which also included three shots and an oral vaccine...frown). Dr. Freeman was happy with her weight gain and she's moving up on the growth chart to a whopping 23%! We'll take it, considering she had dropped to 15% with her weight-gain issues in her first month. She's sleeping 4-6 hours at night, feeding every three hours (not a second longer!) during the day, and really starting to smile and coo like crazy. I'm trying to take in this time when she still wants to snuggle on my chest, while also trying to get her on a good sleep-schedule. When everyone says that there is a "second-child syndrome," it's really true. With the first, you follow the books and advice religiously, and with the second, you sort of just do whatever works! She's happy, growing and tolerating a sassy sister, so I couldn't be happier. Life with two is busy, but I wouldn't change it for anything!

 

 

Until next month...

 

I'm a Big Kid now!

We've been trying (as hard as you can try with a newborn!) to work on potty training with CE...can you tell she's pretty proud of her big girl "Dora Diapers," aka: Easy-ups. She does pretty well with reminders throughout the day, but may still be a while before we've tackled bedtimes and #2's!

{What We're Eating} Hawaiian Chicken

With the chaos of having a newborn and a busy toddler, I've tried some new recipes that require only throwing ingredients in a baking dish or crock pot and letting them cook. This is a spin-off of a Pinterest recipe that I've simplified. Enjoy!

Hawaiian Chicken
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can pineapple chunks in 100% juice, drained (save the juice!!)
1 bell pepper, diced (I prefer red or orange)
1/2 cup shelled edemame
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp honey
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to season

In greased baking dish, place the chicken breasts.  Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder then add diced peppers and pineapple chunks over top of chicken. Whisk together BBQ sauce, pineapple juice, soy sauce, and honey then pour over top of the chicken, peppers and pineapple. Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes or until juices run clear. Serve with brown rice.
Like it spicy? Add 2 tsp of Siracha to sauce mixture and get your sweat on!