MY GIRLS!

~~~NONAH MAE~~~ I am feeling a little emotional this evening, waiting for babe #3 to come join us already (sigh...I am 40 weeks and so ready), thinking about when I was waiting for my first babe! Nonah was 11 days "late" and labor had started on day 8. I was so ready, excited, nervous, and a little usure of what to epxpect. All I knew is that I was so ready to meet my baby. I remember saying during active labor, "i want it out" "i want it out". I think thats what got me through was the strong desire to "get it out" inorder to hold him/her. I can Not believe that my first baby is 3 years old now and is going to be a big sis for the second time. She is such an amazing little person and I love her so much it hurts. I am so excited for her to experience this again now that she is older and knows what is going on. ............................................... ~~~EVEY MAGNOLIA~~~ This little one has been such a joy! She was only 2 days late and labor was a little shorter. Things are kind of a blurr when it comes to details and how I was feeling. I know I was ready though after about 2 days of labor, I was ready. She was such a mellow baby. She is changing so much right now and growing up a lot and only going to continue that in this next year. I am excited to see her with the babe and to see how she adjusts to sharing mama. We will see. These girls are such a blessing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ............................................................. I don't know when this next babe will come but it will. Soon! I can't wait! Mama of 3!! Wow!!! CrAzInEsS!!

Crafts, my girls...life!

As I have shared before my Noni girl luvs doing any kind of craft or art project. I have made it my goal atleast a few times a week (i cant do it everyday) to come up with a craft to do with her while sissy is sleeping. I recently started working with her on writing her name. It has been really neat to see her learn how to do this. Although it is not Spring weather yet there has been an increase in sunshine so we have def been enjoying that!!

Around here!

Beautiful sunrise! One of the perks to getting up really early inorder to have some mama time! My little gymnast! We went to a gym for some tumble time with her girlfriends and Noni is in love with balance beams!! Noni paints my toes on a daily basis! (shes only allowed to do my toes.) 35 weeks and feeling great! So in love with this man! That about sums it up!! ~ We are So Blessed~

Our V-day

We are not huge on celebrating Valentine these days but back in the day my hubby was quite romantic. I remember our very first Valentines day together. We had been together for about 5 months and he made me a 3 course meal, got me a single rose, made me a "mix CD" of some special songs, and then after dinner we went to a cafe and talked for a looong time. It was the best date ever. And I know that is the day I fell in love with my husband!! Since Valentines Day has been kind of special to me but time goes on and kids come in to the family and we just don't really celebrate it any more. Not like we used to any way. This year was nice though. I woke up to these tulips! When we were first together I told Peter my favorite flower was tulip because I really didn't know what my favorite was. Tulips are nice but they are def not my favorite, so now its kind of a joke that tulips are my fave. It was sweet. Then he got a little mini one for his other Valentine, Noni girl! She loved it and is so excited to take care of it. We did go out to a Sweetheart Banquet which was nothing super romantic or anything but it was an outing and dinner with no kiddos which is always nice. It was nice to focus on our marriage and the love that we have that sometimes we take for granted. I am so thankful for my Valentine!!

Dinner time

He is still cooking! The past few days he was not feeling well and hasn't made dinner and man I miss it. Since he makes a meal plan each week I know whats coming and look forward to it! He enjoys all the tediousness of the recipes he has been making which is what I can't stand right now. Since he has been cooking we have been eating more "real" food. I must say I was getting pretty lazy and we would have at least one freezer meal a week simply because it was easy but not any more. He is doing such a good job at making a variety of different foods. Yes some meals are quite heavy but some meals are not. Heres some of the most recent dishes... -Ham Steak with Peters homemade sauce, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Corn- -Grilled Pork Adobado with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Guaijollo Salsa- -Italian chopped Salad with Prosciutto and Parmesan- -Cornmeal crusted Chicken stuffed with sausage and goat cheese, Pommes Anna potatoes and Creamed Kale- (sooo yummy) -Avocado Mango Salad with Blue cheese, Bacon and toasted pumpkin seeds- -gluten free Crab cakes and Carrot Slaw- (He wants to try all different versions of crabcakes which is fine with me because I never can order them out since they always have bread crumbs in them. Noni actually ate one too!) -Chicken Pad Thai- (one of my favorites)

Winter days

Well we are surviving winter but its been a rough few weeks. We have passed around atleast two viruss to each memeber of the family and a cold. We are doing much better now but it seems like somebody always has something going on. A whiney teething mamas girl does not help these winter days at all. We have been staying home quite a bit in order to avoid getting sick and getting others sick and the girls (including me) don't handle the cold too well so the less outdoors the better right now. So we play! We play dress up, baby dolls, "resteruant", we do lots and lots of coloring and crafts and although I do not cook right now I have done some baking. I have been able to complete some sewing projects and scrapbooking which I really enjoy. Oh and I have watched quite a few old movies that I haven't watched in a long time. The winter days have some benefits to them. :) I am not trying to rush it because in about 8 weeks baby #3 will be joining us and we will have lots of changes going. I will do my best to savor these winter days as best I can!! ....................................................................

Pretending to go swimming...while its snowing outside. :)

This was a "princess castle" we built in the living room!

Having fun in the snow...for all of 5 minutes. Evey hates being out in the snow.

*dress up*

32 weeks tomorrow!

More foodies!

So hes still cooking!! And I am still loving it. He has made all kinds of things and some are fantastic and some are not but it is all good and edible. He has even made and eaten vegetables that he usually will not eat. (I am very proud of him) He makes a meal plan on Friday night for the week ahead and we go grocery shopping as a family either Saturday or Sunday. Which may not seem like a fun family outing but for this time of the year its as fun as it gets. We have been eating a lot of potatoes here of late because Peter got me a potato cook book for Christmas called "One Potato Two Potato". He got it for me because potatoes are my fave food. Seriously I could eat potatoes every single day. Love them! So although I am not using it right now Peter is and I couldn't be happier. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Cheeseburgers, Potatoes roasted in salt and corn

~Red Chili Chicken, Rice and Black Beans

~Salmon and Cucumber, Caper Potato Salad

~Smoked Turkey, Tomato, and purple cabbage sandwich with homemade frenchfries (these french fries may not look like anything special but they had to be cut then soak in water in fridge for 2hrs then fry for only 2 min and sit then fried again, it was alot of steps)

~ Fettuccine Alfredo with Sweet and Sour cabbage

~Potato and Rutabega Soup with Fried Leeks on top

~Grilled Chicken Salad with Fresh Guacamole

~Teriyaki Beef Sandwiches with fresh Guacamole

~Chicken Banana Curry and Rice with Sauteed Broccoli and Tomato ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~