Some Valentine Fluff

Okay, it's officially February! (Well, it will be in a matter of a few hours at least). So, I am getting us all in the mood for love with a Valentine's inspiration post.

As you can see, I changed my header. If you like the subway art in the middle, you can download it for FREE here. I love it when bloggers post their creative stuff for free. I also printed it off and framed it (as she suggests on her blog) and displayed it here:

I got the kids in a Valentine's mood by doing an easy craft. 

I'm sure you all have done this with your kids before, but it's simply cutting tissue paper into squares and then using a pencil or just "squishing it up" and gluing it onto cardboard cut into the shape of a heart. Then simply pop a hole in the top and insert a fun ribbon. Voila - Valentine's decor!

Of course I also have the "I love you" banner that I made last year hanging on the entertainment center again (since I don't have a mantel). Brian is oh-so-happy to see all the pink in the family room right now (yeah, right).

 Well, I hope that gave you some good Valentine's inspiration. Only about 14 days left to prepare something special for your sweetie. Have fun!

Some happy moments

The weather was really warm here this week (80's) so we busted out the baby pool and introduced our little guy to our version of "swimming at the house."

At first he wasn't too happy about the cold water, but then he realized that he could sit on the outside of the pool and just chuck toys into the water and watch them splash. 

This was fabulous. 

Then he figured out he could fill up the cups with water and splash with those. 

This was even more fabulous.

Then big brother came home, plus a neighbor, and all of the sudden I found myself sitting on the porch with the baby while the big kids made a "water slide."

Hey, whatever makes em happy, right?

 At one point Payton got himself a snack and sat down in a chair. Then Parker climbed up into the chair next to him and decided he wanted to eat big brother's snack too.

Can't you just hear Payton: "NO PARKER! This is MY snack!"
Parker wouldn't even look at the camera. He was too intent on the snack.

Don't worry... little guy got his own snack.

 We've also discovered that one of Parker's "tricks" is smiling at the camera when the flash goes off. I was literally laughing out loud the other morning when I was trying to get a picture of him playing with his cup and rocks that Daddy brought back from Haiti. Every time I would go to take an action shot of him playing, he would squint and open his mouth at the camera. 

It was so darn funny.

That's what I love so much about having kids in the house. 

Even when life is rough, and you don't feel like smiling, they do the funniest things that just MAKE you smile and laugh. 

God is good like that.

The Beach

The last day my mom was here we decided to go to the beach. 

We hadn't left the house all weekend and we both felt that being at the beach would do us some good.

Our neighbors also came along and fortunately for us, she has a very nice camera.

Here are a few of her great pictures:

 Nothing like a baby at the beach. It's impossible not to smile when you see how much they love it.

We needed those couple hours at the beach. 

Thank you God for your beautiful ocean, and that we get to enjoy your marvelous creation.

Finding A New Normal

Since my last post I have done a lot of...

• Crying
• Blowing my nose
• Removing eye makeup from all over my face
• Praying
• Reminiscing
• Writing
• Thinking quiet thoughts
• Hugging my babies
• Preparing for my husband's return to the U.S.
• Crying all over again, but happy tears this time...

Brian, and the 9 other people from the Church at the Bay Haiti Mission Team, arrived home late yesterday afternoon. We were a huge group of spouses & children (9 boys to be exact) running around with glittered signs and balloons, high on anticipation of seeing our beloved family members again.

I don't know if I've ever kissed Brian for so long in public before. It was a homecoming that had so much meaning - both wonderful and sad - on both of our parts. Brian now has to re-adjust to being back in the U.S. - in a country that is filled with "stuff" and temptation and coveting. He has the responsibility of sharing his story of what happened in Haiti and encouraging others to experience it with him next time. He has a lot to digest... and right now, I believe a piece of his heart is still in Haiti.

I had to share the sad news with him about my cousin last night. Of course he had no idea, so it was kind of like re-living the whole ordeal over again. He was wonderful and embraced me in a long hug. I needed that so badly. 


Now we're both finding a new "normal." 

For me, it's one without my cousin. I find myself wanting to email her and then knowing that I can't. Today I saw a blanket in Parker's closet that she made for him, and I got all teary-eyed knowing that she'll never meet him. So many things that make me sad about her death. But I know she wouldn't want me to be sad. I know she would want me to do everything in my power to make sure that her little girls know the fabulous, devoted mom that she was. And to be there for her mother, who loves and misses her so dearly.


For Brian, I can't say what his new normal is going to be like. I know he is anxious to go back to Haiti and see his little pal Pierre. I know that he is really emotionally fragile right now (he's probably cringing that I wrote that, but it's true, and there's no reason to be ashamed about it). As things progress I'll be sure to update you all. I just know that he had some of the most amazing, impacting moments of his life while he was there. And I know God is smiling down on him.

A time to grieve

This isn't a happy post. It isn't about organizing, or recipes, or shopping, or funny kid things. This post is about the importance of loving people while they are on this planet. Because I tell ya... life is short. I swear I just turned 21, and then I blinked and now I'm 36! WHAT?! 36?!? 

Life goes too fast. 

We really need to stop. 

Look around. 

Take inventory of the people who matter most. 

And then tell them so.

This is a picture of me and my cousin, Wendy. It was taken in January 2010.

 If you look back, you'll see the post I wrote about this super fun vacation we took together with our mothers. 

I'll never forget it.

Unfortunately, it was the last time I'll ever see her.

She died on Friday. Heart attack. We don't know why. We may never know.

But beyond the questions that are constantly swirling around in my head, and the unending sadness that I can't seem to shake. I just have to keep telling myself, "Stop. Look around. Love the ones in your life. Tell them you love them. Don't regret not telling them that you love them."

I loved Wendy so much. She was like the sister that I never had. We started out as pen pals when we first learned how to write. We exchanged letters back and forth and I would get SO excited when I would see a letter in my mailbox from her.

She was one of the first people that I told when I started my period. 

The first person I told when I kissed a boy.

One of the first people I told when I got engaged.

One of the first people I told when I got pregnant.

One of the first people I told when I miscarried.

One of the first people I told when I got pregnant the 3rd time (even before my mom... but don't tell her... sorry mom!)

She was a best friend. A confidant. A supporter. An encourager. A comedian. A sister-like-cousin.

And I miss her so much it hurts.

But I know that she knows that I loved her. That I often prayed for her. That I would have done anything for her. She knew that because I often told her.

And now, I will live with her memories because that's all I have.

She will forever be a beautiful, young woman in my memory.

I love you Wendy.

Florida Winters

To all of my family and friends who do not live in Florida, I hope you will consider this post an invitation to leave your cold, snowy abodes and come visit real soon!

To those of you who live here in the Sunshine State, I hope you will view this post as a reminder of why it is so great to live in a place that rarely gets below 50 degrees. And yes, please remind me of this post when it's August and it's 100 degrees outside and I'm doing nothing but complaining about it. :)

So, on with the post!

You've gotta love Florida in the winter. The dead of winter.

You can throw on a hoodie and head to the beach! So that's just what we did on Tuesday when the kids were out of school for the second day in a row.

(That's Payton in the middle in the black shirt)

How gorgeous is that sky???

The kids had a ball searching for seashells and comparing the treasures they found in the ocean. Nothing like the thrill of finding a sand dollar! 

 This was also Parker's first time going back to the beach since he was 3 months old.

When we first arrived, I plopped him down on the dry sand so that I could set up my stuff.

Oh boy... that was a mistake!

You can't really tell from these pictures, but he's screaming his head off, crawling toward me at a snail's pace because he HATED his hands and feet touching the sand!

(Aren't I a great mother? Rather than immediately picking him up, I grabbed the phone and tried to take a picture of him throwing a fit.)

Anyhow, after I realized that he didn't like the sand, I gladly alternated between holding him and letting him roam around my friend's beach tent. He really loved it when I would walk with him along the water and we would chase an occasional seagull. 

He also enjoyed having his snacks in Payton's beach chair.

Unfortunately, what I didn't get a picture of, was when I took him down to the tide pool and let him splash around a bit in the water. He had a blast! He loved it and of course wasn't too thrilled when I scooped him up and took him back to our seats.

The good news is, by the time we go back to the beach this spring, he'll love every bit of it. And maybe, just maybe, Mama can sit and relax while all the "boys" play at the beach together. 

Hey... a girl can dream, right? :)

Here's wishing everyone warm sunny thoughts, ocean breezes and sandy toes!

 

Photo Dump

As you know with my photo dumps, these have nothing in common, but were just too cute not to post.

We went to Cracker Barrel on Saturday morning. It's the first time Parker has been since he was only a couple months old. He loved sharing pancakes with Daddy, but mostly he liked eating the orange slice garnishes (our waitress actually brought us a whole bowl of them!) and chewing on the empty creamer containers.

But most of all, Parker enjoyed his first ever Cracker Barrel candy stick.

He was in heaven!

It was a beautiful morning, so after breakfast, we let the kids sit outside in the rocking chairs and enjoy their candy sticks. The boys were so darn cute in the little kid-sized rockers (despite the fact that Payton's eyes are closed in this picture).

 Payton used his own money to purchase a hand held "noise machine" like the one his friend Lilly has. Here he is giggling while making farty noises with it.

Parker wasn't sure quite what to make of it, but as long as Payton was laughing, he knew it was a good toy!

And speaking of good toys... when Payton turned 1 year old, my friend Rachel bought him a toy grill that came with plastic hot dogs, hamburgers, ketchup, mustard, grill tools, etc. and the grill talked! It said things like, "Fire up the grill!" and "This grill is hot!" Payton adored it! He played with it for so many years, we just ended up keeping it on the porch in the storage bench.

Can you believe 6 years later, we replaced the batteries in that thing this morning... and it still works?!? Parker LOVES it!!!

I love a well-made toy. And apparently, so do my kids.

 

Again... why is this fun?

As I've stated before, sometimes my kids baffle me.

Parker has two rooms in our house filled with toys.

Cars, trucks, balls, books, stuffed animals, automated toys, toys that bounce, move, make noise, and do just about everything.

But this is what he wants to play with...

 He found this empty egg carton that I had set out for trash.

And literally played with it for 15 minutes (that's a long time for an 11-month old).

 

 He opened it. He shut it. He bit it. He banged on it like it was a drum.

 At least now we know what to get him for his birthday next month. :)

Oh, and I had to post this other funny picture.

Since Brian is going on his mission trip to Haiti, he has decided to stop shaving until he gets back. This has caused quite a stir. Payton keeps saying, "DAD! You've got to shave!!"

I say, "I kinda like the rugged look." (Not forever, but it's a fun change)

Parker doesn't know what to think of it, but he loves to play with it while Brian is feeding him his bottle. He scratches it and rubs it. It's so darn funny.

 That's it for me tonight. Signing off early to get a good night's sleep. Payton is out of school for the next 2 days, so I need lots of energy. :) Have a great week!

Instagram

If you follow many blogs, you've probably heard about the "Instagram" app. 

I've heard about it for a while, but for whatever reason, I haven't downloaded it until this week.

Oh, did I mention it's free? And it's fabulous?

Basically, it's a super easy way to edit pictures and give them different "looks", e.g. black & white, vintage, sepia tone, 70's, so many fun options.

Here's an example:

Before:

After:

 Here's another. 

Before:

After:

Oh, okay, one more if you really want one.
Before:

After:

Precious, right?
Isn't it fun? And did I mention that it's free???

Chicken Pot Pie - Cheat Recipe

We could all use a quick, easy, healthy recipe, right?

Well, this one hits all of those areas, plus, it looks like it took a lot of work, which is always nice when it really doesn't. :)

I call this my Chicken Pot Pie Cheat Recipe.

Here are the ingredients:

* 2 cups cooked chicken (shredded or cubed)

* 1 package of 2 pre-made pie crusts

* 1 can of cream of chicken soup

* 1 1/2 cups frozen veggies (I use California blend, but you could use anything your family likes)

* 1/2 cup milk

* Salt & pepper to taste

Seriously. Can you believe those are the only ingredients??? Love it!

The only time-consuming part is the chicken. But it can be totally hands-off with my method.

I start by putting 3 chicken breasts (they can even be frozen!) in the crock pot first thing in the morning with a can of low-sodium chicken broth. I let it simmer all day and the chicken is all cooked and ready to shred by the time I am ready to make dinner. Of course you could just cook a couple chicken breasts on the stove, or bake them or use whatever method you like to cook chicken.

When you're ready to make dinner, you just combine the chicken, soup, milk, frozen veggies (do not defrost them), and some salt & pepper in a bowl.

Roll out the pie crust into a greased pie pan. Dump the chicken mixture inside. Top with the second pie crust and crimp edges together. Poke several holes in the top with a fork for steam to escape while cooking.

Then place in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes. 

*** Important step: After 15 minutes, cover the edges of the pie with foil, or a pie crust protector ring***

Then cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Let cool for 10 minutes - this is also important so the ingredients can settle before cutting into it.

Voila! You're done!

You could get fancy and brush the top with an egg, or milk to make it shiny and Martha-Stewartish. Or you can leave it plain like I did. Either way... it's DELISH!

 Look at all that yummy chicken!

Pair it with a salad and you're good to go!

P.S. Never heard of a pie crust protector ring? This is what it looks like:

Mine is from Pampered Chef, but you can purchase them at Bed, Bath & Beyond. It's WAY easier to use one of these rather than messing with foil... trust me.

Hope you get a chance to make this for your family. It will be a new favorite for sure!