1st Full Day of Easter Break

What's the best way to kick off Easter Break?  Playing in a kiddie pool of course!

Then we needed to cool off with some Big Sticks! 

 

We are supposed to have warm weather all week so there will be a LOT of this going on for the next 8 days!

What I Ate...

Wondering why I post what I ate for the week?  Click {here}.

Monday

Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs (found on Pinterest)
White Rice with Soy Sauce
Kati's Salad (a cabbage salad recipe from my high school friend!)
Chris' Creation (Pelegrino and a little Crystal Light powder)

Tuedsday

(No Picture)

Went to a friends house and had Papa John's Meat Lovers Pizza

Illinois Salad

Water

And KILLER desserts...yes that is plural.  An AMAZING Carrot Cake and FANTASTIC Oatmeal, Toffee & Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Yes, I ate both.  I risked a sugar induced coma, but it was wonderful!

Wednesday

Turkey Bagel Sandwich
Dill Pickles
Cucumbers & Carrots with Ranch Dip
Water

Thursday 

Ranch Chicken Fries
Green Salad
Italian Pasta Salad
Water

Friday 

Tacos
Spanish Rice
Chris' Creation Drink

Saturday 

Garden Pasta Salad
Water

We had gone to Brooklyn Joe's for lunch and we didn't want to eat a big dinner.  =) 

Look At What We Bought Today

So tiny!  Crazy that there will be a little bottom that fits these coming soon!

Lazy Day

Today was an extremely lazy day for me.  I did almost nothing.  My "attempt to run" yesterday really did me in.  I took Tylenol and my sweet hubby rubbed my back for me last night - but I still hurt.  I hurt while I slept, woke up hurting and have been hurting all day long.  Funny thing is - if it were to happen again today... I would run again (or at least attempt to).  We moms do crazy things when our babies are crying!

Anyway - enough about me.  Dylan told be that he made Payton one of those "cheerleader things that they wear on their heads".  This is what he meant:

Hee hee!

Then when Dylan was doing his homework I asked Payton to color me a picture.  A few minutes later I look over and see this on the ground:

She was OUT cold!  Chris had to wake her up after an hour.

She doesn't nap anymore so this was a shock.  Guess she was tired!

Preggo Update

~ 5 weeks left today (or 35 days whichever way sounds better).

~ My belly is SO crooked.  It is trippy to look down and see that your belly button is to the left of where it should be.

 

~ I am having a lot of braxton hicks/contractions today.

~ While playing out front, Payton got into a red ant hill (yes, again!) and started screaming frozen in fear.  I took off running to get her and realized that I can't run.  I hope there were no video cameras capturing a big 'ol pregnant lady attempting to run - I must have looked sooo silly!  Payton only suffered one ant bite and is okay.  Me on the other hand - notsomuch.  Ooohhhh I hurt.  Almost everywhere.

~ Here's a short video of baby boy kicking and moving.  Watch my tummy to the right.

~ We can't wait to meet the little man!

Spelling Words

A while ago I posted about finding Foam Letters at the Dollar Store.  I thought they would be great for helping Dylan with his spelling words.  Last year I home schooled Dylan 3 days a week and I learned/realized something very important about him:  he NEEDED to be wiggling and moving as much as possible...even doing his "school work".  

So I came up with this little game.  I throw out the foam letters (indoors or outdoors) onto the ground.  Say a spelling word, and he spells it out, connects the letters and brings them to me.  Then I throw them back out again.  As you can see in the pictures, he crawls/flops around having a great time, expending his energy and learning all at the same time.  

Just a small/easy/cheap idea to make learning more fun!

You Are Still Holy

I woke up this morning, with this song on my heart and mind.  I was raised going to the Vineyard Church (in Anaheim, CA), I had the privilege of hearing Rita Springer sing live on numerous occasions there.  This was one of my favorites back then, and still is today too!

You Are Still Holy by Rita Springer

Holy, You are still holy
Even when the darkness surrounds my life
Sovereign, You are still sovereign
Even when confusion has blinded my eyes

Lord, I don't deserve Your kind affection
When my unbelief has kept me from Your touch
I want my life to be a pure reflection
Of Your love

And so I come into Your chamber
And I dance at Your feet, Lord
You are my Saviour
And I'm at Your mercy
All that has been in my life
Up 'til now
It belongs to You
You are still holy

Holy, You are still holy
Even though I don't understand Your ways
Sovereign, You will be sovereign
Even when my circumstances don't change

Lord, I don't deserve your tender patience
When my unbelief has kept me from Your truth
I want my life to be a sweet devotion
To You

And so I come into Your chamber
And I dance at Your feet, Lord
You are my Saviour
And I'm at Your mercy
All that has been in my life
Up 'til now
It belongs to You
I belong to You

And so I come into Your chamber
And I dance at Your feet
You are my Saviour
And I'm at Your mercy
All that has been in my life
Up 'til now
It belongs to You
I belong to You
You are still holy
You are still sovereign
You are still holy, Lord
You are still righteous
You are all-knowing
You are still holy

Huh? She's Only 3 1/2!

Yesterday Sasha (my mother-in-law) and Payton were looking at dresses. Sasha showed one dress to Payton and asked, "Isn't this pretty Payton?". Payton replied, "Actually Sosh, I disagree with you on that one."

Then this morning at breakfast Payton had pinched Dylan. When I asked her why she said, "He was antagonizing me.".

Huh? She's only 3 1/2!

Copycat Olive Garden Salad

The great thing (or actually the not so great thing) about being pregnant is when someone mentions a particular food/drink that sounds good - I crave it.  {to be honest} I think about it everyday until I can have it.  Borderline obsession.  Remember when I craved Chick-fil-A Lemonade?

Anyway, my friend Amy blogged about some recipes that she had made and one of those was copycat Olive Garden Salad.  She said the recipe she used was close, but she wouldn't call it a "copycat".  I had a different recipe in my recipe book (I think that I got it from Top Secret Recipes) that I would say is extremely close and of course since she mentioned it....I had to have it.  Did I mention that we didn't make it until 4 days later?  That was 4 days of thinking of Olive Garden Salad.  Thanks Amy! ;)

So are you craving it now???  If so, here are the links to the recipes from CopyKat Recipes (they just happen to be the exact recipe that I have):

Olive Garden Salad Mix Recipe

Olive Garden Salad Dressing Recipe

If you make it, let me know what you think!

What I Ate...

To see why I'm posting "What I Ate..." click {here}

Sunday

Natural Peanut Butter & Syrup Waffle Sandwich
Bananas
Water 

Tuesday

Ranch Chicken Fries with Light Ranch Dressing
Black Eyed Peas
Cornbread with Honey-butter
Water

Wednesday 

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Green Salad with Pepperonicinis, Green Olives and Zesty Fat Free Italian Dressing
Parmesan Bread (on the same bread that they serve at Outback - yum!)
Pellegrino with a little bit of Crystal Light powder mixed in.  YUM!

 Thursday

Baked Potato with Butter, Cheese, Green Onions, Sour Cream and BBQ Chicken
Water

Friday ***My favorite meal this week***

Mozzarella Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Tomato on Sourdough
Copycat Olive Garden Salad
The Pellegrino/Crystal Light mix drink

Weird Picture

The past couple of days, my feet have began to hurt/swell in the afternoon.  So today I decided to lay down (on the living room floor) and put my feet up.  Then I took a picture of my side view... hence the weird picture!

If I had a "Go-go-gadget arm" I could have gotten my face in the picture - oh well!  LOL!

Spring

I am getting to experience my first true change from winter to spring.  I feel like a kid in a candy store watching all the buds blooming, grass turning green, leaves coming back on the trees and birds chirping/singing again.

There are Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees blooming everywhere:

Pretty huh?

With spring comes pollen...and lots of it.  Our normally gray car is now yellow with pollen:

 

We had a record pollen count this week.  I guess it is supposed to only last a week or so.  We will see - so far Chris and Dylan's allergies haven't been affected, which is a huge blessing!

I Can't Get Over...

how shops here "close up for the night" and leave everything out.  The little produce market leaves all the fruit/vegetables outside and they put up a rope with a sign that says "closed".  Two little antique/flea markets shut their doors to the inside shop but leave everything that is out front, out front!  

On my way to my Women's Group at church early this morning, I drove past this sunglass vendor that has been selling here for a few days:

Guess they aren't open yet!

After School Fun

What do you do on a Monday, after school, after having a 4-day weekend, when it was 80-85 degrees outside???

Play in the sprinklers of course - and follow it up with some sun bathing!!!

Hairstyles

Until recently, my hair "expertise" for Payton has been ponytails (high and low), half up-half down, putting a headband on her and an occasional french braid.  

I really wanted to do more, but she fights me on brushing her hair, and I didn't know what else to do with it.  Then I stumbled on She Does Hair blog from Pinterest.  There are some cute ideas on there.  Here are a couple that I copied:

  

 

I can't wait to try more out.  Oh and I figured out how to get Payton to cooperate with me.  I take a picture of the back of the finished hair-do and then show her.  Simple and she sits still for me now!

Have I mentioned how fun it is to have a girl???  ;)

Linking up at:

What I Ate...

Sunday

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
Green Salad with Blue Cheese Crumbles/Dressing
Water 

Monday

Taco Salad (with ground turkey)
Water

Tuesday

Dirty Rice (with spicy sausage)
Green Salad with Lite Caesar
Water

Yes, I realize that the caesar doesn't go with the meal...  Oh well

Wednesday

Hamburgers (made by Craig, my father-in-law)
Takis (not pictured)
Water 

Friday

BBQ Chicken
Potato Salad (made by Craig)
Water

We've been eating a LOT of fruit lately for lunches, snacks and dessert.  So excited that yummy fruit is back in season!

I Love...

my kiddos!

Especially when they are being silly (under the patio table).

Dylan has been off of school yesterday and today (teacher furlough days).  We have been busying having fun and enjoying our warm weather!

Hearing Check 1-2-3

So about 7 years ago I noticed that at night while trying to sleep - if I laid on my left side I could hear the crickets chirping outside and our water feature running.  But if I flipped over to my right side, I couldn't hear those things.  Oh well, that's not a big deal, right?

Fast forward to 2012...  I'm still having the same issue, but kinda nice when we sleep with the window open, I know I can flip to my right and block out the chirping.  (But I can still hear the incessant barking of a dog nearby - LOL!)  A couple of weeks ago (when Payton was really sick) we were sleeping and I noticed Chris getting up out of bed.  I sat up to see what was going and THAT is when I heard Payton crying and coughing.  It kinda scared me that I couldn't hear her (I was sleeping on my right side) and worried me with a new baby on the way.

I went to the doctors today for a hearing test and was diagnosed with "otosclerosis".  It is hearing loss in my left ear.  Not the news I was hoping for.  I had chronic ear infections when I was little and ended up having tubes put in my ears when I was in 1st grade.  I was hoping it had something to do with that and they could put in another tube and I would be fine.  Instead there is a problem with the bones in my middle ear.  They don't know if there is a stiffening of the bones or if the bones didn't connect correctly (due to my chronic ear infections).  They need to do some imaging, when I am not pregnant, to decide if I need to have surgery to try to connect the bones or if I need a hearing aid.

Fortunately, right now, it's not a huge hearing loss.  I can still hear out of my left ear.  I can talk on the phone on that side.  I can still hear music from my earphones.  And when I am not pregnant and can sleep on my back again, it won't be as noticeable at night.

All this to say, I know that God is our healer and I am praying for complete healing (if it is HIS will) or that it won't get worse (there is a possibility that it grows worse with pregnancy).  So when you think of it, will you pray for me?  I know that in the grand scheme of things, this is not a major issue but the Bible says:

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7

* * * * *

Now, on to the fun things today:

Dylan and the neighbor caught a lizard today.  The got to hold it, pet it, try to feed it, then release it back out to the wild.

 

And just because I got a cute pic of Payton today, I thought I would share it:

It's a Beautiful Day!

We had another thunderstorm last night and when we woke up this morning, it was pouring.  BUT it wasn't cold.  I even wore my flip flops today!  By the time Payton and I left for church (for my women's group - which by the way I love) the rain had stopped.  Everything was washed clean and beautiful.

We stopped for gas and these were out front:

Aren't they pretty?

 

Oh and for all my California friends/family...  Look at how much I paid per gallon today!

 

(Note:  It originally was $3.69/gallon but with the Kroger (Ralphs on the west coast) buyer shopping card, I got $.40 off per gallon.)  I heard it is $4.25-4.50/gallon in So. Cal.! Yikes!

Since we are done with the cool weather, Payton and I painted our toes today.  Did I mention that it is fun having a girl that I get to do girly stuff with???

It warmed up to 75 degrees (but felt warmer than that).  We spent the afternoon outside.  Dylan did his homework out front.  Oh and we got to eat dinner on the back porch for the first time this season.  It was a BEAUTIFUL day! 

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

Ever make a recipe that was a total fail (completely on your part) but you can taste the potential and can't wait to make it again???  That was me, yesterday.  And here's the (potential of) yumminess:

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

{See I told you I was on a spicy kick lately!}

The original recipe (that I found on Pinterest - of course!) was from the Six Sisters' Stuff website.  If I followed their instructions exactly, I am sure that it would be perfect.  Mine on the other hand - the noodles didn't cook all the way through.  But (in spite of) the flavors were amazing!  

What did I do wrong?  I baked it in the oven (for 60 minutes) rather than the slow cooker and still used raw noodles.  So next time - I will cook the noodles ahead of time or extend the baking time for another 15-20 minutes.  Or follow their recipe exactly and I am SURE that it will be FANTASTIC! 

Soccer Season...

has begun!  The Mustangs had their first game today (last week was cancelled due to wet field conditions).  Even though we don't "keep score", they won 4-1!

 

We are proud of Dylan as he ran his little heart out.  He had a couple of great stops and almost had a goal!

What I Ate...

To find out why I post "What I Ate..." click {here}.

Sunday

Fried Chicken
Dole Southwest Salad
Water 

Monday

Chris' Chili (yum!)
Water 

Tuesday

Pizza with Spinach, and Sundried Tomatoes (yummy!)
Blue Cheese & Apple Salad
Water

Wednesday (Linner - Lunch and Dinner)

Chipotle Chicken Burrito (that thing is huge!)
Water

Thursday

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Mediterranean Chopped Salad (found on Pinterest!)

Water

Friday

No Picture. =(

Brooklyn Joe's Pepperoni Pizza

Water

Saturday

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
Tangy Buffalo Wing Chips
Fresh fruit (YUM!!!!)
Water