a poem

My hubby is such an eloquent writer.  He wrote this in some journals we gave to his little cousins for Christmas:

You may at first begin to think,
This book is blank, there is no ink
But turn the page and close your eyes
Search your heart and search the skies

There you'll find the words in streams
To write down all your hopes and dreams
There's magic in the pen you'll find
Your goals will grow and soon you'll shine

Life won't always come with ease
But all is yours and yours to sieze
Never give up and always stay true
Never lose hope and always be you

"Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

a jaden story

At my work this afternoon, I overheard the following conversation between Jaden and one of two of his friends:

Abby: Is your mommy going to have a baby?
Jaden: Yep!  But he won't be borned yet.  He won't come out until March.  That's a long time from now.
Gabby: I have a baby brother!  My mommy borned him at Halloween.
Jaden: I'm going to have a baby brother too!
Gabby: They cry a lot.  But I get to play with him sometimes.
Jaden: I'm going to play with my baby brother too!  I'm going to be a big helper!

<3  These five year old conversations are so sweet! 

Some thoughts that have been on my heart recently:

*It hits me a little bit more each day that I'm going to be a mother of TWO children.  What a huge blessing that is!  Sometimes I have little freak out moments....like, I can't even imagine how I'm going to handle life with two when I feel overwhelmed with one. But then the Lord reminds me that His grace is sufficient for me.  And then I calm down.
*I pray continually for baby Eli and for Jaden-that they would grow to love the Lord and know His love for them.  That they would walk the path the Lord has planned for them and not stray from it.  That they would hide His word in their hearts and keep their minds on Christ. 
*I pray for Derek and I-that we would continue to seek the Lord's will and direction for our family.  That we would raise these boys to be godly men.
*I love Christmas!  I'm very ready for vacation and taking some much needed time to visit with friends and family.

sopapilla cheesecake

Around this time of year, some friends of ours always get together and have a potluck dinner and white elephant gift exchange.  This year, we hosted at our house =)  It was lots of fun, good fellowship and yummy food! 
I tried out another new recipe....friends are beginning to be my guinea pigs for recipes I want to try out-lucky them! =) 

Sopapilla cheesecake

This yummy dessert disappeared very quickly!  It was fast to make, and pretty cheap too.

You need:
8 oz of cream cheese, softened
1 cup of sugar
2 cans of crescent rolls (the regular size)
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup of sugar 

Method:
Cream together the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl and set aside.
Grease a 13*9 dish.  Unroll one tube of crescent roll into the bottom.  Squish together the perforations as best you can.
Pour the cream cheese/sugar mixture over top, and spread around evenly.
Unroll the second can of crescent roll (it doesn't have to be pretty)
Pour the melted butter over top, and spread around as best you can.  Sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of sugar.
Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes.

**Notes**
-I cut back the sugar to 3/4 cup
-I added 2 tsp of vanilla and some cinnamon to the cream cheese/sugar mix
-I cut back the 1/2 cup of butter to 2TB of melted butter for the top of the rolls

walking treadmill workout

I love power walking.  I'm a huge fan.  It's easy on the knees, and usually I can chit chat with other moms while doing it and not sound like I'm dying.
I've shifted from jogging/walking to just power walking for the rest of my pregnancy (super, super sad about that...but I know it's better for my body this way).  So, I was on the hunt for some really good walking treadmill workouts. 
Lo and behold, I found some!  The one I did this morning absolutely kicked my tail, so I thought I'd share and let you guys try it out (if you like walking on the treadmill).  Let me know what you think!

Speed stays consistently at 4.0

Minutes                          Incline           

0-5                                 5
5-7                                 9
7-9                                 10
9-11                                11
11-13                             9
13-15                            10
15-17                            11
17-19                            9
19-21                            10
21-23                            11
23-25                            5

I added a few minutes of warm up at the beginning, and an extra cool down at the end.  Also, the speed staying at 4 was SUPER hard for me, so I did 3.8, then moved it to 3.9, then moved it to 4.0 at each 9 incline.  I did this circuit twice. 

chocolate chip cookie brittle

I came across this recipe one day, and have been craving it for a few weeks.  Today, I had some free time after church so I decided to try it out. 

DELICIOUSNESS.  

Definitely not a regular chocolate chip cookie, though.  And even though it's called brittle, it's not the "gona-break-your-teeth" hard.  It's more like a crumbly, buttery, crunchy shortbread cookie or biscotti kind of cookie.  Super yummy by itself, but also great with a tall glass of cold milk =)

Here's what you need:
2 sticks or 1 cup of butter (softened)
1 cup of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
2 cups of chocolate chips, divided

Here's what you do:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Cream the first four ingredients together.
Gradually add the flour by 1/2 cup increments *while you stir, your arm will feel like it is ready to fall off, but it's worth it, I promise*
Add 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips

Press the dough down onto baking sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

When the dough is done, pour the remaining chocolate chips over top.  Let it sit for a few minutes.  Spread the melted chocolate chips around. 

Let the dough cool.  Once it is cooled off, place in the pan in your freezer for ten minutes.

You should be able to just lift the brittle off the pan and break it into pieces, but I just used a large knife and cut the brittle into pieces that had nicer edges =)

*NOTES*
-I added a little bit more vanilla, and a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
-I decreased the salt to 1/2 a teaspoon
-Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper helped lift the dough out of the pan after I took it out of the freezer

slowing down

I am thankful for Saturdays.
This morning, I got up early and walked with a friend.  Then I ran some errands and we all cleaned house.  Laundry was (finally) done.  Derek and I went on a double date with some friends without our kids - and it was fabulous!
We have tucked Jaden into bed, and he *should be* sleeping.
The house is quiet.
My feet are kicked up on the coffee table.
Baby is kicking away, flipping and turning and doing whatever else he feels like doing.
I like this feeling at the end of a good, productive day. 
I am thankful for weekends like this.  They help me slow down and enjoy being home.  They remind me how nice it is to be together with my family.  But mostly, they remind me to take joy in the mundane, every day, stay at home moments.  They remind me to see God's grace and peace in the small things.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which you also were called in one body, and be thankful ~Colossians 3:15

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit ~Romans 15:13

Christmas Town at Busch Gardens

From Black Friday until the end of December, Busch Gardens is transformed into Christmas Town!

The rides that were closed were decorated in beautiful Christmas lights

Lots of kids' rides were open, so Jaden got to ride lots of "roller coasters" =)

Christmas Town also had a live exhibit of penguins at the Ice Palace, a Penguin Paradise.

They were my favorite.

The Red Baron planes were Jaden's favorite ride.

learning to shave

Jaden got a "shaving kit" for his birthday and had been asking forever to use it.

 

beards like Santa!

He had lots of fun "shaving"........

and he's growing up fast!

coffee

love this shirt. 

Jaden's 5th Birthday

My baby turned 5!  I cannot believe how fast time flies.  It feels like it was only yesterday that Derek and I were taking him home from the hospital. 

*Not gonna lie, I cried a little bit.  He's growing up so fast.*

These past five years were filled with tons of laughter, some tears, and lots of "figuring it out" moments.  Jaden is truly a blessing to us!  He fills our hearts with joy.  I can't imagine my life without him.

Today we had a small party =)  It was superhero themed.  So fun!

is that Jaden?  No.........

It's SPIDERMAN! =)

all the super heroes

the "big boy number 5" candle as Jaden called it

opening gifts

this face cracks me up

baby bumps

my friend, who is 22 weeks preggo...also having a boy! =)

I don't take very many bump pictures, so I thought I should post one....my friend is 22 weeks, and I'm at 20 weeks

baby coller gender reveal

the voting corner...we had little hair bows and bow ties

the baby pumpkin

a tribute to the Marine Corps birthday...the Womb of the Unknown Baby

Opa and Jaden

Opa, Oma and Jaden

Aunties Annette and Theresa

yep, he's too cool for school

sisters =)

family shot before the party starts

team pink

team blue

opening the bear box

IT'S A BOY!

Zanzabar, the Great Girllama (half giraffe, half llama)

Daddy, Jaden, the big brother bear, and the new baby bear

just because

I love this face!

half marathon training

This morning, my friend and I are tackling 12 miles!  Oi.  That makes my brain hurt just thinking about it.  We've been making fairly decent time, at least on our previous training walks.  We're predicting this morning to be a little slower because of the cold.  I think we'll be done around 3 hours-ish.

Because I'm preggo, we're power walking (with light, slow jogging here and there when it's a down hill or a nice flat road).  I bought a  pregnancy support belt to wear when I exercise-I'm going to try out it out today.  Hopefully it'll help my back not hurt.

I like this race because:
1. it's the first one I've done pregnant
2. it's keeping me in shape
3. it's giving me really good talk time with my friend

I checked the weather and it's going to *feel like* 32 degrees pretty much the whole time.  I think I'm going to be ready for a really hot shower and some hot chocolate when that's over.

Have a great morning! 

chocolate cobbler

We had some friends over for dessert last night, so I tried out a new recipe!  =)  Who better to experiment on than friends, right? 
Thankfully, it was a hit!  And because it was such a big hit, I'm going to share it with you!

Chocolate Cobbler

First layer:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c white sugar
3 TB melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
2 TB cocoa

Second layer:
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c cocoa

Top:
1 1/2 cups hot, boiling water

Method:
~Preheat oven to 400 degrees
~Starting with the bottom layer, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.  Spread it as evenly as possible in a greased, glass 9X13 dish.
~Mix together the middle layer and evenly sprinkle over the first layer.
~Lastly, gently pour the hot water over the first two layers.

Bake for 40 minutes (mine took 35 minutes).  Server warm or cold, with or without ice cream.

**Notes**
~I added 1 TB of ground cinnamon and 1 tsp of chili powder for some depth and kick
~Instead of 1 cup flour, you could substitute 1 cup of self rising flour.  Just omit the baking powder and salt.

happy birthday Oma

Today is my mother's birthday (I won't post how old she is-she might not like that =) )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OMA!  We love you!  We hope you have a great day filled with love and joy!

"This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" ~Psalm 118:24

pregnancy update

I'm officially 16 weeks!! =)  Yahoo!  Half way there!  I had my monthly doctor visit yesterday, and the doctor was pleased with how baby's doing.  Heart beat was in the 140's, and is on track growth wise.

In two weeks, we find out what baby #2 is!  Can't wait! 
There is a very noticeable baby bump now, which is super cute....I had every intention of taking monthly preggo bump pictures, but then I forgot.  Maybe one of these days I'll remember to take one and post it.

I'm still feeling fairly energetic most of the time, and definitely hungry too.  Like most days I feel like I could eat a horse =)  Trying to eat pretty healthy, and I always carry an apple or grapes around with me in my purse just in case.

We found some bedding for the nursery (it's baby jungle animals-super adorable), so later this week we're going to pick out paint for the room!  Jaden wants us to paint the room hot pink, because he says a baby sister would like a pink jungle.  (That got vetoed.)  We're looking at some on-line stores that sell wall decals for the walls (also baby jungle animals).  The nursery is coming together!

We've also officially decided on a name for each gender-we're just waiting to find out before we tell everybody =) 

Some random fun facts about this week in my pregnancy:
*The baby is as big as a sweet potatoe (Jaden thinks this is hilarious)
*the baby has started to grow toe nails
*baby most definitely moves, and Derek and Jaden can feel it on the outside of my belly now

the chronicles of narnia

I'm re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia series.  It had been quite a long time since I last read them!  I think that they are my most favorite series.  This time, I'm trying to pay more attention to biblical symbols.  I've never paid much attention to those details-but man, this series is chock full of them!  The first 3 books are all folded up and marked on now =)

A couple parts have been on my mind, and I wanted to write them down so I could remember them.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has a conversation between two of the children and Mr. and Mrs. Beaver.  They are talking about Aslan, the great Lion who rules Narnia.
Lucy: Then he (Aslan) isn't safe?
Mr. Beaver:  Safe?  Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you?  Who said anything about safe?  'Course he isn't safe.  But he is good.  He's the King. 
I love this part!  It reminds me that God isn't always safe.  He doesn't call us to do the easy things.  He calls us to work, and sometimes it's way outside of our comfort zone.  But we can find courage in the truth that He is good!  He is the King, and He loves us and will take care of us.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has a very small paragraph near end of the book where the children are walking through this vast green valley (called The End of the World or Aslan's Land).  They come to a little fire and see that a Lamb is preparing food.
The Lamb tells them, "Come and have breakfast".
I never noticed it the few times I've read this book.  It's a story straight from one of my favorite scriptures.  John 21:12 says "Jesus said to them, 'Come and have breakfast.'  None of the disciples dared ask him "who are you?"  They knew it was the Lord. 
How awesome will it be to have the Lamb ask us to have breakfast?  To sit down and dine with Him.  To see Him face to face. 
I can't even imagine.  But it's going to be awesome.

Anyway, I need to get Jaden off to pre-school, but I hope these little thoughts bring you joy and dwell on your minds today =)  Have a good day!

the pumpkin patch

My family went to Jeter Farm this past weekend.  We forgot our camera (I know, I know....) so no pictures this year.
Derek calls this year the year of the small pumpkin because all that this particular pumpkin patch had was small pie pumpkins (which, incidentally were free with the price of admission).  They had bigger pumpkins, but we had to pay for those.  Jaden got a pumpkin, I got a pumpkin....and both Jaden and Derek insisted that we get a teeny tiny one for the new baby =)
This pumpkin patch had lots of fun activities-a corn maze, a tractor ride, a pumpkin train, slides and LOTS of hay bales for the kids to jump and climb over.
Overall, it was a fun day!  

altec family day 2012

While Annette, Gail and I  were off on our adventures in Liberty, Derek took Jaden to Altec Family Day for some daddy/Jaden time.  He got a balloon animal, a ride in a bucket truck, and got to play in a bounce house!

Jaden in the bucket

can you see him???

there he is, way up high!