Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Spring happenings...

post signatureIt has seemed to be a jam-packed spring for us, between weddings, birthday parties, poncho-making and neighborhood get-togethers, we've made some precious memories and are gearing up for lake season! Easter was wonderful with a Woodfield egg-hunt and a trip to great-grandma Sally's house, and then April brought the celebration of our favorite nephew, Graham Lee. Happy first birthday to the sweetest and feistiest one-year-old around!

















Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Paige 18-months

I'm 18-months old...and a busy bee, learning more and more each day.  I'm walking (nearly running everywhere), climbing the stairs and couches and into everything...dog food, the dishwasher and mommys bathroom drawers are just a few of my favorites. I'm saying 10-15 words, pointing at everything and doing lots of grunting when I want something. I love to eat! Favorite foods are bananas, broccoli, yogurt and cheese (of course!) My mom and dad call me sassy, strong-willed and a bit ornary at times. When I get my mind set, there's no backing down on my end, folks! At the same time, I love to snuggle, blow kisses, rub my mommys back when she's holding me, and for the most part, have a toothy smile on my face at all times.  My raspy giggle is absolutely infectious...trust me. Teething has been quite an issue for me when it comes to sleeping through the night, but Tylenol and "mommmmaaaaaa!" have been my saviors. Mom and dad are dreading the day when my pacifier goes away, needless to say. Here are some photos of my sweet, silly, sassy-self.





 




Thursday, February 27, 2014

Will this winter ever end?

While we love winter for the skiing, sledding and beautiful white wonderland, I have to say....I'M OVER IT! At least we have these sweet faces to see enjoying the snow angels, snow ice-cream and going down the slide into a huge pile of...snow. Ah, to be a kid again and love every second of our real-life "Frozen" tundra.

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Emme and Claire enjoying the frozen lake Sylvan.
 


Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Christmas 2013


What a joyous holiday season we've had...celebrating the love of family and the many blessings we've been given. We've met Santa twice (both involved screaming sessions), visited the Gingerbread House exhibit at Conner Prairie, attended Claire's first (ridiculously adorable) Christmas pageant, and hosted the "Cairns" Christmas for the first time at our house. It was a busy and wonderful season!
Claire's favorite gift: Little People princess castle and cookie-baking set
Paige's favorite gift: baby doll set with carrier














Wednesday, November 13, 2013

{What We're Eating} Stuffed Pepper Soup

This is one of those Pinterest recipe that I've tweaked to my family's liking, but I keep coming back to! It's full of healthy, hearty goodness.
 
post signatureStuffed Pepper Soup
 
                                              4 peppers, 1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 orange, diced
                                              1 onion, diced
                                              1 tsp garlic powder
                                              2  ( 26 ounce ) containers reduced sodium beef stock
                                              1 ( 15 ounce ) can tomato sauce
                                              2  ( 15 ounce ) cans diced tomatoes
                                              1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or turkey sausage
                                              3 teaspoons worcestershire  sauce
                                              1 teaspoon onion powder
                                              1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
                                              1/2 teaspoon oregano
                                              1/2 teaspoon basil
                                              1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice or quinoa

         1) In a saucepan cook turkey and add salt and pepper. While thats cooking in -
         another pan start cooking the peppers.
           
       2) In a large pot saute peppers and onion, cook until tender and add garlic and sauté
         for about another minute. Add your beef stock, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce,
         worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, oregano
         and basil. Add your cooked turkey and cook for about 20 minutes on medium
         high heat. Shut the heat off and add rice and stir. Put a lid on the pot for 5 minutes
         and it's ready! Serve with parmesan cheese and a little hot sauce...if you're feeling spicy!

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween 2013

Hello, little miss Tooth Fairy and baby hoot owl...Happy Halloween!






Claire 2011, Paige 2013







Thursday, October 17, 2013

Paige is ONE!

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Our lovely Paige Abigail is one year old today, and having a ball! She is finally crawling on all fours (after three months of army crawling) and cruising like it's her job. She has two teeth, but insists on eating table food only and prefers to feed herself. Her favorite foods are bananas, broccoli and any type of meat. She says "hiiiiii" about a hundred times a day, and if you ask her to say any other word, she simply replies, "dadddaaa!" Paige takes two naps a day and sleeps 12 hours at night...bedtime is typically 7pm- a complete opposite of her night-owl of a big sister (in many ways). We honestly can say that we've been blessed with two amazingly happy infants...the sleeping and crying gods have been on our side! Paige is already showing signs of being a bit braver and a bit more outspoken than Claire was at this age, and we've enjoyed every minute of recognizing and embracing the differences between our two sweetie pies, whose photos look so shockingly similar. Paige's "pumpkin-pie" party was a smashing (pun-intended) success, with tons of food, friends, family and bounce-house chaos. Who could complain about a gorgeous 70-degree day in October!  Happy first birthday, Paigey-pie...May the next year bring us just as many wonderful memories.