R says that C gets her brains from him and her dance moves from me. See what you think!!

Yummy Tummy!

I got to try out a new recipe today, and it was good enough to share! It is from Real Simple magazine, and I only made a few modifications.

Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce
12 ounces spaghetti (I use whole wheat)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 lb. ground beef
Kosher salt and pepper
1-28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped (we didn't have fresh, so I used some dried)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic, and cook stirring occasionally, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add the beef, 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper, and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley.

Serve the pasta with the sauce and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

It was easy to make, and I like that it had the carrots, onion and garlic in it! It was well-received by two toddlers and two hungry mommies!

Need quick and easy bread sticks to go with? Take out the leftover hot dog buns from last weekend (you know you never use them all!) and slice them length-wise. Spray with spray butter or drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt or Salad Supreme. Brown under the broiler!

Sorry, I don't have any photographic evidence of the meal, but I promise it was DELICIOUS!!

Memorial Day Weekend 2009

Howdy, friends!

After spending M-Th in Austin for work last week, I was looking forward to some fun, family time over the long Memorial Day weekend!

Friday was C and Mommie day! We colored, went to HEB, colored some more, one of us ate a purple crayon while the other one was fixing lunch, watched a little Elmo, got in a good nap, and did some finger-painting! C was NOT a fan of finger-painting because it meant her hands would be dirty! We ate dinner on Friday night with Ryan's brother and his family at Texas Roadhouse! YUM!

C has started waking up around 5:45 in the morning, and Saturday morning was no different. I turned down the monitor really low (so I couldn't hear her conversation with her lovey, but could hear her if she started screaming!) and managed to get an extra hour before I went in and got her. My mom came north to spend some time with us, and my Aunt Tye and Gran Gran came south for the day. We had such a fun time! C was happy and enjoyed all of the attention! Here are a few pictures.

"Hi Tye" brought a bubble blower, and it was obviously a hit! The "Elmo Jammies" were the prize I brought home for C! To say she loves them is quite an understatement. I think I outdid myself on those!

Here is C channeling her inner Neal Sperry. She decided to test out the soil by rubbing it in her hair! For a girl who doesn't like to get her hands dirty, she didn't mind a scalp full of dirt! We had ring-around-the-tub after bath on Saturday night!!

Saturday night, R cooked some delicious fajitas and we shared them with friends and family. Dessert was ooey-gooey goodness! Have you ever made s'mores under the broiler in the oven? Oh my goodness. There was a display of s'more making material at HEB on Friday, and it sucked me in! Those advertisers did a good job. Man alive, they were good!

On Sunday, R and I went to a going-away lunch for a couple in our Sunday school class while Gam stayed home and played with C. I think they spent quite a lot of time out in the backyard! I don't think I've mentioned that C recently got a backyard playground. She L-O-V-E-S it! Basically, it is her 2nd birthday present from me and R, but she got it in time to enjoy it this spring, summer and fall. Here are a couple of pics of her enjoying the fun.

This is her "yide". So much fun!

Here we are on the "wing". There is a toddler bucket "wing" too, but she likes to "wing" with mommie sometimes.

We had some good family time today--just the three of us! We did a little shopping and a whole lot of playing and reading. I made quesadillas for dinner with the leftover fajita meat, and C gobbled up every bite of hers and then mooched some off of mine. She decided to forgo her veggies tonight and just stick with quesadilla goodness! We managed to get her to eat some grapes and strawberry, luckily!

And I will end with a video that cracks us up. This was taken this evening after dinner. C has an egg that plays the "Chicken Dance" music. She got it at Easter, and every time she plays it, one (or five) of us will do the chicken dance for her. Well, she's learned it and flaps her little wings and does her little hands and waddle...SO CUTE! Once the music ends, you'll hear her say, "gain?" which means, "play it again, daddy!" You'll see...

Have a fantastic week!

Advice Solicited & Appreciated

Okay, readers. I’m looking for some advice. I don’t care if I know you or not! I’m just hoping for some insight into a budding problem. This is, after all, my first child and she didn't come with a manual!

Little C is 16 ½ months old, precious, smart, and has a tendency to lay out on the floor when she doesn’t get what she wants. She drops to her knees and falls prostrate like she’s praying.

When this first began, we just ignored it. We would walk away from her, let her finish, and then continue on with life. We’ve tried picking her up and holding her upright until she will stand again, and then distracting her with something else. Lately, we’ve been taking her to her bed when she’s having a temper fit, but we’ve since decided that is more like a reward to her. In her bed she’s got 4 or 5 pacifiers and her Lovie. When she calms down and stops crying, one of us will go and get her. We did that last night and as soon as we got her out, she broke into another fit! We were at a loss on what to do next!

I know this is part of growing up, but I also know that we need to assert ourselves as “boss.” We’ve thought about creating a time out chair (or spot or mat…) to just be a place where we can put her when she has a fit. Is this a silly idea?

Here is the question…How have you nipped the temper fit issue?

*Disclaimer* We LOVE Little C like crazy, and we want to do what is best for her. I know most of you know that, but I had to put it in here just in case!

M.I.A.

I have this theory that when people go long periods of time without posting anything substantive on their blogs it is because they are pregnant.

REST ASSURED, friends, that is not the reason behind my lack of substantive posts lately!

I just thought I'd check-in and give everyone a quick family update since posts have been sparse!

-Little Miss C is growing and talking our ears off. Tonight in the bathtub, she learned to say the word "shampoo" and she thought it was hilarious! Every time she said it she just giggled! She's also started saying "it hurts" to tell us where something hurts! We're thrilled that we may not have to play the guessing game on that much longer! Woo-hoo! She had her 15-month check up last Friday (even though she is almost 16 months!). I don't remember the exact pounds and inches, but she's in the 93rd %ile for height, the 76th %ile for weight, and the 60th %ile for head circumference. We are completely smitten with our little sweetheart!

This pic was taken before church on Sunday morning! I knew I'd get in trouble for doing a post and not including at least ONE picture of C!

-R is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on finishing grad school. YAY! He had a 30 page paper due last Friday, and it just about pushed both of us over the edge. He wrote, and I edited. After he pressed the submit button, our weekend got exponentially better! He's taking one class this summer and two classes in the fall...and then he will be DONE! He continues to keep me laughing!

-Gx3 are enjoying the pretty weather and all that is budding in the backyard. Gretchen gets a kick out of chasing the birds (bless her heart!)! We've opened up a new corner of the backyard that used to be fenced off, and ever since then there has been some serious vermin hunting! Someone killed a grass snake and left it on the porch for me last week. I almost peed on myself before I realized it no longer had a head.

-And then me. Life is good. I begin and end MOST days with a smile, so that is a good thing. That doesn't mean that everything is always rosy! On the contrary! I just believe that the Lord has given me a peaceful attitude, and for that I am SO thankful! As far as work goes, I'm in charge of (leading?) two GRANDE state initiatives that roll out in May and June, so that is adding some stress. I want to do a good job, but I am not used to being "in charge" of directing others. I'm learning as I go. I'm still very much enjoying my 80% schedule. One extra day per week with my best girl has made a HUGE difference!

SO that is the update from our little world! Not much else to report! BTW, just because I'm not posting doesn't mean I'm not checking in with all of your blogs. Your updates come to my phone, so I get them wherever I am!

Flor-i-da!

Howdy! Our posse just returned from a whirlwind trip to Florida! We left on Friday around 11:00 and rolled back into the driveway about 6:45 last night. Just in case you are wondering, we did NOT drive. I loathe long car trips--especially long car trips with a 15-month old! Thanks to our tax refund, we were able to fly out of DFW instead! Woo-hoo!

R's brother and his family live in South Carolina and we don't get to see them nearly as often as we'd like. R's parents drove and the rest of us met them there. We had a lovely condo on the beach on Okaloosa Island. It is between Ft. Walton Beach and Destin. The weather was cool AND C was sick with an ear infection, so we only got to do the beach and pool one afternoon. Also, thanks to C's doctor, nurse, a few phone calls, and a Walgreens, we got her on antibiotics on Monday!

This baby girl seriously loves the water. She very much enjoyed throwing sand and running into the waves! She wasn't scared at all! (Isn't her new swimsuit the cutest? Gap Kids Outlet! And she's so long, we had to get her a 2T!)

BTW, I know my pink hat isn't the cutest thing ever, BUT I am trying to set a good example for my daughter. With her fair skin and Ryan's history of skin cancer, it is NEVER too early! And on top of that, it kept my afro-hair under control!

The grandparents (R's mom and dad) kept the kiddos for us on Sunday night and we all went to "Howl at the Moon" piano bar! After an hour of music (and smoke) and only one drink, these hard-partiers were in bed by 10:00! It was nice to spend time together!

C even got some super-c0ol sunshades! She didn't keep them on for very long, but I think they are cute anyway! This picture was taken on our patio. We spent a lot of time "ou-side" (outside) because that is where C wanted to be. The patio shielded us from the wind, so it was a nice compromise. We did have a couple of "pool parties" in the HUGE bathtub off our room, though!!!

Everyone else is still there, and it was back to work for us today. We can't wait until our next get-together! C can't wait until her next trip to the beach!!