29 September 2011

Pumpkin Patch

This morning we met some girlfriends at the pumpkin patch to play. Train rides, doughnuts, digging corn in the corn cribs, sliding down the huge "in ground" slide were all part of our morning.

As always, Audrey loved jumping on the giant pillow--and Allie tried, with stand-in-mommy JoAnn, since I am pregnant (21 weeks)  I didn't think trying to balance myself on the top of a moving pile of air was in my best interest.  It was too scary for Allie though, and we moved on to something else.

jumping on the giant pillow
Allie attempting to jump. Every time she'd let go of JoAnn's hand, she'd fall down.
The girls loved playing "house" and getting the mail in the market.

Lily, Audrey, Allie
climbing to the top of the straw tower. And she made it this time, a first for her. 
not wanting to pose for me. 

checking out the turkey

Allie loves animals
checking out the giant jack-o-lantern at the entrance




sweet Allie. 



Allie, Audrey, Lily



Sarah

19 September 2011

PINK IT IS!

More tutus, hair bows and pink dryer lint for us come February. We think this is super SWEET news.




We found out today at our sonogram that we'll be adding another princess to our very pink castle. We are thrilled that she looks healthy and that the girls will have another playmate for dress-up, dolls, shopping and heart to heart conversations. Of course, that last one won't come for a few years, but I do pray they are close enough to confide in each other. The girls didn't seem phased one way or another, they went with us and saw their baby sister on the monitor today. Audrey had been wanting a boy-- "because we have two girls already." I always said if it was a girl, we'd have to have four. 

I thought for sure this baby was a boy. 

Jeremy, although royally outnumbered at this point, seems to be ok with being the only man in the house. 

Now, what to name her......stay with an A name or give her a completely different letter? Something to ponder over the next 20 weeks. 
















Sarah

17 September 2011

Puzzle Board

Jeremy made a puzzle board for the girls to do their puzzles in the family room since we've taken out our coffee table. It lives underneath the love seat.

Allie isn't much of a puzzle doer, Audrey loves them. So it will work great once Allie is a little older and doesn't spend all her time sitting on the board, messing up Audrey's puzzle she's working on. Or, taking pieces to Audrey's puzzles and running away laughing. Audrey does not think this is funny at all.


Before I left for a photo shoot this morning, I captured the puzzle board in use. 

All smiles this Saturday morning






Sarah

16 September 2011

Homecoming Parade

We gathered with friends to watch our school's homecoming parade today. Even though we have no school colors to speak of in our closets (had it been pink, we'd been set), we went anyway, because with every parade, there's cavities candy, of course! And this one even had homemade chocolate chip cookies. Yum! They didn't pass those out, but the kind mom who let us watch the parade from her front yard was gracious enough to make us homemade cookies.

Audrey, Lily and some yummy chocolate chip cookies! 


Yum!


Watching the parade


candy!

Allie taking a little rest







Sarah

Playdate

Lily and Finn came over today for a playdate. Finn is Lily's new baby brother. Allie thought it was pretty cool to hold him. The girls played and then Julia joined us for lunch.

Allie and Finn

I think she's going to make a great big sister!

the girls with friends, Julia and Lily




Sarah

15 September 2011

It was a comfort food kinda day; Creamy Pork Chops and Greek Potatoes

It finally feels like fall today.

Cloudy skies, crisp breeze and cold rain made up the weather forecast today.  Anything short of comfort food for supper would have been ridiculous.

My plan for pork chops, potatoes and carrots in the slow cooker died when I entered the health food store to realize my gluten free "cream of whatever" soup was no longer considered gluten free. Ugh.

What to do? BBQ pork chops in the crock pot just didn't sound good to me today. I needed something creamier, less tangy. I remembered that Progresso has a cream of mushroom soup--or creamy mushroom soup that is gluten free. That would have to work.

And a recipe was born.

You can't have pork chops smothered in gravy without potatoes, so I threw together a potato dish that was a good starting point.

More or less so I don't forget, and for my friends who tried it and liked it:

Creamy Pork Chops  (gluten free)

4 butterfly pork chops
oil
salt, pepper

brown pork chops in hot oil until lightly browned.

1 whole onion, cut up
2 cans Progresso Creamy Mushroom soup

Put onions in bottom of slow cooker. Cover with pork chops. Pour soup over the top. Cook on high for one hour and then low for 6-7 hours or until pork is done and falls apart.

Greek Potatoes

preheat oven to 400 degrees

1.5-2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced
salt

Boil potatoes in salted water until done.  Drain.

Let steam for a few minutes.

Stir together and add to potatoes:

3 T butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup or so of plain greek yogurt

Mash potatoes with cheesy yogurt mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle with heavy whipping cream, stir.

Pour into a casserole dish

Top with chunks of extra sharp cheddar cheese.

Bake until cheddar cheese is melted and top of potatoes is slightly brown.

Next time I might add chopped green onion or even cooked bacon.




Sarah

13 September 2011

First Day of Kindermusik

It seems I blinked. 

Audrey is now old enough to go to Kindermusik class without a parent. Hardly seems possible to me. Especially since all last year she was our "observer" child who wouldn't talk to the teacher, wouldn't participate in class when called upon or sing out loud. She has really "come out of her shell" for lack of a better term, this summer. So today, when I left her with the other kids and her new teacher I wasn't worried at all that she'd be just fine and enjoy every minute. 

I was right. She came out of class and said enthusiastically, "I LOVE my new class! and I LOVE my new teacher!" Interestingly enough, when I did go to observe the last 15 minutes, as all parents do....kind of a 'this is what we learned today' segment...she was her reserved self again. The teacher caught me afterwards and said that when I'm not with her she was very participatory.  I honestly wasn't sure if that should comfort me or make me cry, but the point was, without me, she was independent and happy and for the most part, I was ok with that. Oh to have that psychology degree I almost obtained...

In the same building but down a flight of stairs, Allie began her Kindermusik class today too. Allie's in the same classroom with the same curriculum that Audrey had when I was pregnant with Allie. So strange that I'm pregnant again and doing the same songs and stories but this time Allie is my little toddler. I guess this is my first experience of doing the same thing but with a different child. 

My husband didn't appreciate this story, but when it came time during the class to shut the lights off and "rock" with Allie I had to fight back tears. I had a flash back to 2009 when I sat my very pregnant self against a wall during rocking time, Audrey beside me with her baby (she had no desire to sit on my lap) and gently swayed back and forth, humming the same precious song. So surreal that the baby I used to rock in my womb was today on my lap, in the same room, listening to the same song.

Allie was more timid in class than I anticipated for her, but i think she'll come around. It's a lot for a little kid to experience other little kids and the equal number of new adult faces all at once. 


The girls with their new class materials, Audrey with a new backpack, Allie with her little satchel. 
such a big girl. I love this age. 



School Girl

Audrey (3.5) got silly today during an impromptu mini photo shoot. 










Sarah

19 weeks

"Mom, your belly is starting to get bigger. " Audrey said to me this morning while I was getting dressed. Apparently it is. 4 people said something to me today about looking more pregnant. I must have grown overnight.

I'm 19 weeks. I haven't taken a picture or journaled anything for this child. I already regret that.





Sarah

10 September 2011

The Wedding

Today my cousin Mary got married. I have seventeen cousins on that side of the family. She's the seventh one to get married and the third bride in her family. She's one of seven girls.

I watched the majority of this wedding on the playback screen of  the camera I was running. And because I was in charge of video (and editing)  I didn't get to take a lot of pictures. I grabbed my camera once or twice. Once we were able to grab a quick family picture, in which, I'm looking quite preggo.

I could go on and on about the pretty color of bridesmaids dresses, how my Aunt (the Mother of the Bride) looked radiant or the special dance the Grooms' brothers did at the reception that I still can't get out of my head.....but I've got a wedding to edit!

I will say, I had the hardest time finding dresses for the girls, and for the first time they didn't coordinate or match. At all. Audrey picked hers out herself, at the store (she's getting so big). I had gotten them each new fancy sparkly hair clips. You'll never see Allie's because she lost it 30 seconds after getting into the church.  We looked before the wedding, after the wedding and still we couldn't find it. My mom went to the Wedding Emergency Kit that she made for this family's first wedding and found some bobbi pins. They kept her hair out of her face, but they certainly weren't as pretty as her lost hair clip. Ugh.

Audrey enjoyed the wedding. She thought it was fun to see the Bride in her fancy dress and watch everyone dance at the reception. Jeremy tried to get her to dance, but she didn't want to....until we got home. Then she got sad that she didn't get to dance with Daddy. Then she told me that one day she was going to marry me and then kiss me on the lips. Silly girl.


practicing blowing bubbles, waiting for the bride and groom


Mary and Derek

my favorite part of Allie's dress?  Her tights.

Allie and Uncle Ben. Yes, that is a sticker in her hair. My mother watched the girls during the wedding since I was video-ing, and of all things, she put a sticker in her hair to keep her bangs out of her face. This was before she found the bobbi pins. 

Audrey and Daddy




Allie tuckered out around 9 p.m. Thing was, Jeremy and I were pretty tired too. Oh how times have changed. 




Sarah