No Pictures...

Things I am sad that I haven't been able to blog about because we don't have a functioning camera.....

-the girls all starting dance classes (seriously cute!)
-the grass that is starting to grow in our front yard. This has been an exciting adventure for Dustin.
-the cute picture boards I made today.
-the flowers I planted in my pots in front of my house. And actually FINALLY placing the bird post my late grandfather made that I have been carrying around for about 5 years.

I know there have been more things over that past couple of weeks but I can't think of any more of the top of my head. But stay tuned because we are going to buy a camera this weekend....maybe even tomorrow if I can't stand it anymore!

It's a mango this week...

Well we are to the size of a mango.....and it is still an it so far. We don't know the sex yet but very soon the fruit will become gender oriented! The date for the actual ultrasound has been pushed a few days back so stay tuned for the update!

The Fire Game

For FHE the other night we decided to just run over fire safety and practice how we would get out of our new house in case of a fire etc. You know the drill! At one point Dustin told the girls to pretend to be sleeping in their beds and then he pretended he was the fire alarm and they had to get out of the house, which included crawling down the stairs. Cut to today; Lilly and I are talking and I told her that grandma Beth was coming to visit us for Thanksgiving. She got SO excited and asked, "When grandma comes can we play the fire game!!!??" I wasn't sure what she was talking about until she said they could pretend they were asleep in their beds and then crawl down the stairs. I am thinking, at least we didn't scare them with the whole fire drill thing but I have a feeling that is going to be a requested game on Monday nights around here. Mom get ready to crawl down the stairs backwards.....we have a lot of stairs.

My little sweet potato.....

This week the baby is the size of a sweet potato! And I really do love sweet potatoes. In fact I have a recipe that I was going to try with sweet potatoes. Here it is if you want to try it too. The only condition is that while you are making and eating it you think of my unborn baby......

Chicken and Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes

adapted from Cook's Country

serves 6-8

3 cups whole milk (I didn't have whole milk so I used 2 cups 1% and 1 cup cream)

1 cup yellow corn muffin mix (Jiffy brand was recommended in the original recipe but I used a Betty Crocker mix and it worked just fine)

2 T. butter1 onion, chopped fine

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 " cubes

2 sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

3 cups frozen corn (not thawed)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper, to taste

Mix milk and muffin mix in bowl until well combined. Meanwhile, heat butter in large pot over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, chicken and sweet potatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sweet potatoes are just tender, about 8 minutes.

Stir in milk and muffin mixture and simmer until soup thickens, about 10 minutes. Add cheese and corn and cook until cheese begins to melt, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

I got this recipe from this great website that you can see here.

Maddy and Josey's bedroom

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The lovely previous princess border:

Our new wall art:

I apologize for the quality of the pictures. Our camera no longer wants to work. But my mom was really wanting to see the room so I got some pictures that are semi-blurry and not completely blurry like the camera normally takes and here they are! It looks better in person but the girls are happy with it. I am going to hang a bunch of different sized white paper balls from the ceiling as well when my mom sends then to me and then this room will be complete for at least a couple of years!

Thoughts for today.......

So I was thinking this morning as I was rolling myself out of bed to get the girls on the bus how much I hate and I mean H-A-T-E mornings. Now this is not an unusual thought for me in the mornings but for the last three months of summer mornings I haven't had to face my hatred head on. But this morning I was determined to get the girls actually on the bus and not have to drive them to school. The bus comes at 7:20, which means that we have to be up at 6:45 to be dressed and eat breakfast and everything accounted for to walk out to the bus stop. This early hour goes against two of my cardinal sins:

1. I don't think it is right to wake sleeping children. I figure if they are still asleep then they need to be sleeping. Their bodies are growing so quickly and it just seriously bothers me to wake sleeping children.

2. Actually talking nicely to ANYBODY before 8:30. As a mom talking nicely to your children even when you are crabby in the morning, to me, is a requirement. I honestly really struggle with this one. I don't like talking to people in the morning. I AM TIRED PEOPLE! And to make matters worse I have a daughter that is unusually and dare I say to me slightly annoyingly chipper in the mornings. Maddy has always been a morning person. Even as a baby she was up at the CRACK of dawn and always has been. She is a person that doesn't require a lot of sleep which is a trait she most definitely DID NOT inherit from me. Even when I wake her, she is ready to jump out of bed and talk talk talk. I have to be really careful around her in the mornings because sometimes (and I hate to admit this) she doesn't bring out the best in me. Now don't get me wrong, I think it is a WONDERFUL trait to be a morning person and get up early. I wish that I was a morning person and enjoyed getting up early. I am glad that she has this trait......I will just be more glad when she is old enough that I don't have to join her in the mornings. She can have her little happy mornings all to herself and let me sleep.

The other thing that I have been struggling with is the freedom of owning a home. When I say this I mean the freedom to do whatever you want to your home and yard. There have been quite a few request for some pictures of our new home but I have wanted to do a little decorating first. I couldn't wait for this day. After all the renting we have done I have been so excited to have something of my own that I could do whatever I wanted with. Well now I am finding that I am completely overwhelmed. I don't know what I want to do! So....for those wanting some pictures of our new home, I think you are just going to have to wait a little until I can get a grip about what I want to do......and a little extra cash to do it with! Or you could always come visit and see it in person!

This weeks baby is.....an onion!

So this week little baby x is the size of an onion. So exciting.......I know.

First Day of School.....finally!

It seems that we are the very last that we know of to start school. But here we are the day after Labor Day FINALLY heading to school. The girls have been so excited for weeks! I am not exaggerating. One of them ( I am not sure which one) actually said they were so excited for school that they liked the first day of school more than Christmas! WHAT?! I won't hold her to that statement but that was how excited they have been. Mostly just to wear their new clothes from Grandma Beth I think!

So here are the 2 school girls. 2nd and 4th.....I can hardly believe it! Ah Maddy.....check out that attitude!

And Josey....who actually ended up really nervous today. She can be so like Dustin sometimes.

And of course one with Lilly who is left behind with mommy again. Lilly insisted on making that face she thought it was really funny and I COULD NOT get her to stop making it for the picture. Oh well. We had a fun summer but we are all glad that we are back in school. Glad for the structure again and the learning going on. Not so glad to have to get up in the mornings again but it is worth the price!

The Frog Pond

Yesterday we ventured over to one of our favorite places, the frog pond. Even though it was a rainy day here and nice and crisp outside we went anyway. Unfortunately it had rained a little too much and the frog pond that is usually dry in the summer, perfect for catching tons and tons of frogs was filled with water. So we had fun exploring around the pond and looking for other creatures. Here is one that Dustin snapped while driving en route to the pond. I had to take one of Lilly's ensemble......it was AWESOME! And she was so proud.

Of course Josey was the first to reach into a random bush as we are walking and grab the first frog. We call her our animal tamer. The girl never ceases to amaze me with the animals and creatures she spots and catches.

Dustin found a helicopter tree so they spent lots of time flying the little helicopter leaves. He did pick up Maddy too but just then I ran out of batteries.

Baby Avocado

I forgot to post this this last week but the baby is now the size of an.....avocado! Guacamole anyone?!