Happy Halloween!

Friday was Lauren's party at daycare and then there was a trick or treating event downtown. 

Chocolate Mustache!

They played a game where you had to eat a gummie worm off a string.  I don't think you were supposed to use your hands, but what are you gonna do!

My Tootsie Roll!

He got tuckered out Trick or Treating. 

Later that night we went over to my dad's to carve pumpkins.  Colton got one just his size. 

Lauren likes the guts

I have no idea why she wanted to stick her feet in it.  She had her socks and shoes on and then all of a sudden started taking them off.  When I asked her what she was doing she said, I wanna stick my feet in it.  UM OK!

My goofy brother

All the carved pumpkins

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!!

Two Sonyas

As I mentioned before, we went to St. Louis last weekend {more posts to come} I had the privilege of meeting up with a blog friend whose name just so happens to be Sonya. So I would like to introduce you to Sonya and her husband Kevin. 

When we decided that we were going to take the kids to the zoo in St. Louis one weekend I thought about the possibility of Sonya meeting up with us.  I knew that she lives not too far away from there and they visit quite often so I emailed her and just casually mentioned that we were going to be visiting soon.  I was really excited when she jumped on board right away!  They were already going this month, so we planned our trip.  It seemed like it was taking for ever to get here. 

That morning as we were heading to the zoo I was so nervous.  Sonya and I had been reading each other's blog, communicating through email and twitter for a while now but I thought, "what if she doesn't like me or what if I don't like her"  People can be different in person than online so I was really apprehensive.  BUT she is everything that I expected.  No surprises, she is who she is, in person or on her blog.  :)  I had a great time getting to know her a bit better and being able to actually talk to her was great!

Our husbands were troopers too.  I am not sure how they really felt about us meeting people from the Internet but they seemed to enjoy the experience.  Kevin and Sonya were pretty much our tour guides at the zoo.  They knew where all the animals were and led us straight to all the best places to see them.  The weather was perfect and the zoo wasn't too crowded.

 

All three of us were wearing purple! How perfect is that, it is after all my favorite color!!

We had such a great time, I hope that we can make this a tradition and meet up with them again!  And now I can say that Sonya is an "in real life friend" and not just a "blog friend"

New Look

I finally made a new blog header, what do you think??  I think it turned out pretty good.  :)  And it is about time I got Colton's face up there. 

I have changed my layout just a bit but I tried not to move stuff around too much.  I just wanted a bigger area for my posts. 

Also if you haven't noticed I added a "subscibe via email" option on the right hand side.  If you would like to get my posts in your inbox then please sign up!!

4 Months 5 Days

Our little man turned 4 months old on Saturday!  It seems like it has flown by but then again he is such a perfect addition to out family that he seems like he has always been here. 

He had his 4 month checkup yesterday and the doctor says that everything looks perfect. 

Colton weighs: 16 pounds 3 ounces.  75th percentile

{I think he is a little down from last week}

Height: 25 3/4 inches 75th percentile

I was super excited to be able to see how long he was.  The last several well checkups he has been wearing the harness so we couldn't check. Yes I know that I could have done it at home it just seems more "official" when the nurse does it.

Sleeps a good 6 hour stretch at night and then up to eat. 

Loves kicking his legs when out of the harness

Oos ahhs and coos

Grins so big at mommy she just can't help but smile

Look at that face and those eyes!!!

Big Sister and Little Brother at the St. Louis Zoo.  More coming on our trip!

Happy 4 month birthday Little Man.  We all love you so much and could not ask for a more wonderful baby. 

It's Been A While

I hate when I go days without blogging. I love to read every one elses blog which I am incredibly behind on, and I like to write and share pictures but it seems there is just no time. It seems like my time off work is always full and I never have time to sit down and work on my pictures I am still editing wedding pictures I took in September. I am getting really close to having those done though. Should be within the next week or two. :)

This past weekend we took the kids to St. Louis and went to the Zoo and the Arch and I met one of my amazing blog friends Sonya. Who I now can call and “in real life” friend! :) I will post about all that later this week.

Yesterday was also one of my days off but I volunteered with the Ronald McDonald House that is next to Children’s Mercy Hospital. Let me tell you all that I was very impressed with this organization. The house was beautiful and looked very comfortable. At least as comfortable as you can be while being away from home when your child is in the hospital or undergoing medical treatment. When the lady was giving us a tour and telling us all the things that they do for the families that stay with them I wanted to bawl my eyes out. I was very touched. I, thankfully, have had limited interaction with Children’s Mercy and neither of my children have ever been hospitalized there {knock on wood} but knowing that there is a place that takes care of families of children being treated there is such a blessing. When she was telling their stories my heart was just breaking for them. Yesterday a team from my work went and made dinner and snacks for the people that are staying there. I am sure that I will volunteer there many more times as I was truly touched.
I have so many things that I want to blog about and I will get them up eventually…they just may be out of date…think pumpkin patch in January, but OH WELL.

So that is all for now and I plan to get posts up about our visit to the pumpkin patch {two weeks ago} and our trip to St. Louis soon!!! Also last weekend Colton turned 4 months old. We have his check up tonight so I will be posting pictures of him and his stats as well. This will be the first checkup since the harness that we will be able to measure his height! It’s funny the things that Mom’s get excited about.

Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

These biscuits are amazing and taste pretty much exactly like Red Lobsters Cheddar Bay Biscuits if I do say so myself!! I actually adapted this recipe from one I found online several years ago. Now there is a secret ingredient so don’t tell…:)



Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
½ cup cold ginger ale
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Preheat oven to 450

Mix Bisquick, Cheddar Cheese, Ginger ale and one teaspoon of the garlic powder together. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Melt the butter and mix in the parsley, remaining garlic powder and Italian seasoning. As soon as the biscuits come out of the oven brush on the melted butter mixture.



The ginger ale is really the key to this recipe. You can use water in the same amount in place of the ginger ale but the ginger ale just gives it that extra OOMPH and really makes the biscuits so much better.



These are great served aside anything.  Chili, soups, steak, chicken...you get the picture!  Enjoy!

Look Mom, No Harness

I am so behind in getting this post up!  Two weeks ago we were able to start transitioning Colton out of the harness.  We have been taking him out, 3 hours at a time, twice a day, for a total of 6 hours.  Today we went back to the orthopaedic doctor and will begin taking him out a total of 12 hours. I am really excited about this because this means he will be out of it for the majority of the day!! 

Colton now weighs in at just over 16 pounds.  He is growing so quickly.  His harness had to be adjusted quite a bit.  He has gotten longer in the last two weeks. 

The doctor said that starting tomorrow I can take him out when I drop him off at daycare in the morning and put it on after bath time.  The doctor also said they will do x-rays when Colton is 6, 9 and 12 months old to check his progress and then every 6 months for 1 year after that and then he will follow him for several more years to keep on top of things and make sure that the harness did it's job. 

 

When we took him out of the harness for the first time in 8 weeks at the doctor's office I picked him up and cuddled him and felt all over his back and legs and the tears just started flowing.  It was such a great feeling to not have the harness between us! 

I loved giving Lauren a bath in the sink when she was little and I was only able to do it twice before we got the harness so I wanted to get him back into the sink, even though he is too big for it.  :)  We have since switched to the baby tub. 

AHHHH!!!  Look at those feet!!  Colton loves when he gets to be out of the harness.  He immediately starts kicking his legs and going nuts!  Does a momma's heart good.  I think I stood staring and just watching him last night after his bath. He was talking and cooing and kicking up a storm. 

We have ONE month left with the harness.  The next two weeks of 12 hours on and 12 hours off and then the last two weeks he only has to wear it at night.  I can't wait to be rid of the crazy thing.  But now that we are able to take him out and bathe him it doesn't really bother me all that much.

Bedtime...Help!!

Bedtime is exhausting.  Mentally and some nights physically.  It seems like more often than not it is a fight.  Lauren does her best to try and stall.  We have a routine and stick to it each night. 

Bath, pjs, books, bed. 

I even start warning and counting down how many minutes until bed time and she still throws a fit, wants a drink of water, has to go potty, runs away, and sometimes, like tonight, SCREAMS her head off.  Yeah that bodes well for her already sleeping brother. (who is not sleeping through the night yet)

AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

I would love tips on how you get your little ones to bed.  Anything to help me from going insane would be much appreciated. 

2010 Financial Goal Update

In my post 2 Goals for 2010 I talked about paying down our debt, preparing for the new baby and daycare expenses, as well as building our savings.

In February we paid off Brian's car.

In May we paid off my car.

Now all we have left is a small personal loan and one credit card. 

Obviously we prepared for Colton's arrival and we did so without spending a lot of money.  I bought things on sale, stocked up on diapers using coupons, and made sure when I purchased things online I got free shipping.  This took discipline since I am usually a "buy it now" kinda girl.  I researched and really tried to find the best deal and while I didn't end up buying the furniture set I wanted I found something that looked very similar and paid less than half of what the other would have cost.

Since we paid off our cars that money has been padding our savings and has helped out with the added daycare expense. 

As 2010 is winding down so is the Financial Makeover that Brian and I have been participating in through my employer. October is actually the last month of the competition. It is so hard to believe that it is closing in that quickly. Brian and I have made great strides over the last 10 months. We have paid off two auto loans, paid quite a bit on our credit card and increased our savings account 164.4%


Our journey on this financial makeover is teaching my husband and I lots of things one of them being patience. We no longer make purchases without waiting for the item to come on sale, researching to see if we are getting the best deal or other ways to save money like using a coupon. I always thought that using coupons meant you were being frugal or cheap, but what I realize now that using coupons is smart! By waiting for an item to come on sale and using a coupon we can save a lot of money! For example, I was able to buy 3 packages of baby wipe refills that were on sale at Walgreens, using a coupon and some register rewards from a previous purchase for only 29 cents!!! It does take planning and patience but it pays off in the end. I subscribe to a lot of blogs and websites that teach you how to do this and even will give you scenarios on how to get the best deal. I have already started Christmas shopping for Lauren and bought her the “Beauty and the Beast” DVD/Blue Ray combo and only paid $4.16. The DVD was on sale for $12.99 at Nebraska Furniture Mart and I used a $10 off coupon that I received for being part of Disney’s Movie Reward Club! CHA-CHING!! I have also started doing online shopping through E-bates and I have already earned cash back. And I am using Swagbucks as my search engine and am going to save up my points for something fun!

Speaking of Christmas…don’t let it sneak up on you. We know it’s coming, yet every year it seems to surprise us. Throughout the year, Brian and I tuck away a little bit out of each paycheck into a special savings account, and by time Christmas gets here we'll have a nice chunk of change to buy gifts for our family and friends. No more using credit cards. No more scrambling. We are prepared! Not only will we use the money we saved for Christmas presents, but we also have a little extra budgeted into the fund for other gift-giving occasions such as birthdays, weddings and new babies for us to use throughout the year. I never have to figure out how I am going to buy gifts for people because I already have it! I love that. If we have any money left over after Christmas we either will add it to our credit card or leave it in the savings to get a head start on next year.

As the competition is coming to a close, Brian and I have been reflecting on things we’ve learned along the way. One thing we learned is that our budget is constantly evolving and changing. Almost every month there is something new to add or something that we’ve paid off, so we always need to make adjustments. Some changes are good, like no longer having a car payment, and others are just the hiccups of life. Like having a baby with hip dysplasia and all the medical bills that has entailed! This realization has brought communication into our finances. Brian no longer thinks of it as my job since I work in the financial industry, but something we do together. We talk about where to allocate and spend our money, and when we need to make major financial decisions we make them together.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
10 oz package frozen corn kernels
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
24 0z. (3) boneless skinless chicken breasts
chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it topped with cheese and sour cream.



I made this chili only once last year and made it again last week.  I FORGOT HOW GOOD IT IS!!  This is going to be a regular on our menu this fall/winter for sure.  I love good stick to your ribs soups!

Lauren - isms

The Purple Jeep edition

“I am going to mow the grass with my purple jeep.”

“Can I drive my purple jeep to church?”

This purple jeep has given me a bunch of grief.  Not only does it go much faster than her blue car, she is dangerous in it.  She has gotten much better at driving it since we got it for her a couple of months ago, however last weekend we were sitting outside and she was driving it around in the yard and all of a sudden Brian starts yelling “LAUREN STOP” the neighbor kids like to get in front of her and have her chase them.  Well she got a bit too close to the littlest one and he ended up falling and she ran over him.  He was ok and he took it really well but I felt awful. {this is one of the neighborhood mom’s who lets her children run wild throughout the neighborhood and is never outside with them.  The little boy is younger than Lauren} Not to mention that while I was running over there to get the jeep off the kid I slipped in the grass and pretty much did the splits! YOWSA!!  Aaron and Mollie were over so they got a good show.  They were laughing hysterically when I came back over to where they were sitting.  Luckily they had Colton so I was not carrying him when I fell. 

I ♥ Faces Week 41 - Beef

There is nothing better than a steak fresh off the grill!!  My husbands cut of choice...the ribeye.  He, being a professional and all should know what he is talking about when he says that is the best of the best.  Doesn't that look delicious.  It is making my mouth water!!  :)






I am entering this photo into the I ♥ Faces - Beef photo challenge


 

Colton's Dedication

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, we had Colton dedicated at our church.  I don't really have too many pictures to share but here are a few. 

A friend at church gave me the outfit Colton is wearing.  It is a 12 month and was way too big in the chest but it fit over his harness. :) 

Our first official family photo!!

Lauren conked out on the ride home 

It was a great day.  We had dinner after church with tons of food and cake!

28 days...

Till I turn 28. While 27 has been good to me I am so ready to see it go, even though that means I am now officially pushing 30. As I was driving into work today I was thinking about everything that has happened in the last 10 years. 10 years ago I was a senior in high school. I had my head on straight and knew what I was going to do with the rest of my life. {It’s funny how things don’t always go as planned.}

The last 10 years has brought sadness, happiness and has gone by so incredibly fast that I don’t even know what happened to most of it!

So the countdown to my birthday has officially begun. In 28 days I will be 28.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

When I was pregnant with Colton I craved cilantro all the time.  I am not sure what it was but I wanted it and I wanted a lot of it!  I loved it before and I still do but it was like I HAD TO HAVE IT!  Good thing I found this recipe.  The shrimp are delicious.  I serve it over rice and with a veggie.  This particular time I had Brian grill some zucchini with some salt and pepper and a dash of a citrus basil spice rub I have. 

Cilantro Lime Shrimp with grilled zucchini

Ingredients

- 2 tsp olive oil

· 2 lb shrimp, shelled and deviened
· 6 cloves garlic, crushed
· 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
· 1 lime
· salt and pepper

Directions
Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add oil to the pan, when hot add shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. When the shrimp is cooked on one side, about 2 minutes, turn over and add garlic. Sauté another minute or two until shrimp is cooked, careful not to overcook. Remove from heat. Squeeze lime all over shrimp and toss with cilantro. Serve hot

MMM!!!  This is on my menu plan again for later this week and I can't wait.  I love it when shrimp is on sale because this is what I usually always want to make with it.  :)