February 27, 2011

Belly pics


I thought that since it has been awhile since I posted some belly pictures, I would post some! Here are a few good ones of me and my growing belly!


p.s. just keep this in mind... I have gained about 2 pounds since my last visit BUT I am still -4 lbs since getting pregnant (but by looking at these you would never know it!)


Me around 3 months

Me at around 4 1/2 months... I think this is a good shot of my belly :)
Carl took it while I was getting ready one morning



BIG BELLY!!!! LOL

Miles must be growing fast, because it seems like my belly just appeared one morning and keeps growing everyday!



February 25, 2011

Phoenix part 2

We spent a few days with Shelb and Brian and had a blast hanging out and getting to know Mya. Here are some pics from those few days :)

Carl holding Mya for the first time

Mya flirting with Carl... she laughed so much for him!


So sweet!


Me holding Mya for the first time... she took her little nap on me :) so sweet

I only wish I would have taken more... I have been horrible about taking pics lately! I need to keep the camera out and start to take them all the time. Traveling went well and I was so glad to see everyone. Wish we could have stayed longer, but I'm glad we were able to go.

Trip to Phoenix



To sum up the last few months, Carl has been studying for a big test. He got a few months off to study and prepare for this big test and finally it has come to an end... he took his test 2 weeks ago but still had the rest of February off. Luckily we were able to use one of the weeks to go to Phoenix to visit family.

We stayed at Linley and Ike's house for a few days and then at Shelbie and Brian's house. It was SO fun! I loved spending time with family and getting to meet my new little niece. I thought I would share some of the pics from that great week!


Cooper snoozing

Cooper laying on the floor and Jez laying in Cooper's bed


Lin playing with Cooper


Carl snuggling Cooper

Me outside with the Jez... she, of course, sits right on my belly

A fun treat the doggies got after being good all day... they were just almost empty peanut butter containers. Don't worry... they weren't full :)


Cooper enjoying his snack

Napping on the couch


The doggies playing in the backyard


Carl telling Cooper to growl

Our trip to the doggie park!!


Can you see Jez? She was sniffing around behind us

Meeting other dogs


Cooper and Carl watching T.V.



This was as we were leaving to go stay with Shelb... Cooper followed us and jumped in the car

and then promptly sat in the drivers seat. He is so cute!!!



I think I will post another blog on our trip so I can show you our super cute pics of Mya!!

February 18, 2011

BOY OR GIRL?????






We went in today for another ultrasound and got to find out what we are having.....





A baby!!! Just kidding... but this is a great pic of our little one's face.. such a cute nose!!!

Our baby also adored the ultrasound tech and gave us the #1 sign... just putting up a finger right next to the cute face :)


Alright... we are having a BOY!!!! A little Miles Hunter Bryce due July 10th, 2011!!! We are so excited and can't wait to meet the little guy in 4 1/2 more months.



February 11, 2011

Pasta




So, I know I have been posting about food A LOT..... but just go with it. This is all about Pasta Salad (Thank you Lindsey!!). I normally do not like pasta salad, it is too creamy and oniony and gross but THIS pasta salad is so easy and so good!

Here is what you do:


This is all you need.... rotini, black beans (and/or kidney), corn, olives, green beans, Italian dressing, Italian seasoning, oregano, parsley
(you don't HAVE to have all of these, it is really easy to customize this to fit what you like. I have even made this with cherry tomatoes)

Start by boiling about a half a box of the pasta.

Open all the cans into a bowl. I usually cut the olives in half because I don't like a whole olive in each bite.

While the pasta is boiling, I make the sauce. I pour about half the bottle of Italian dressing into the bowl of veggies. I then add about 1 1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning and add a bit of Oregano (I taste it to see if I like it, then add more as necessary)


Drain the pasta and let it cool. When it is cool, add it to the veggies and mix.

Serve chilled. It gets better the longer you leave it. I would recommend waiting overnight, but I can't ever wait that long. I usually eat it as soon as it isn't hot anymore :)

I like to serve it with sunflower seeds on top because I like the extra crunch it gives, but Carl likes it plain.

Tips:
*Don't over cook the pasta. It needs to be aldente because the vinegar in the dressing is going to cook the pasta a little more each day and you don't want the pasta to be soggy.

*When you are adding the dressing, don't worry about it seeming to be too much. After you add the pasta, some of the dressing will be soaked up by the pasta.

*If you like more corn or don't like black beans then add more or take it out... this is YOUR pasta salad. Don't feel bad about using what you have and leaving out what you don't like.


I have made this 3 times in the last 2 months. It is so good and reminds me of summer. It is so easy to make and easy to serve... no heating up, just mix it and put it in a bowl. YUM! Also, you don't have to feel bad about eating it because it is mostly veggies!

I hope you give it a try and love it like I do!! (and thanks again Lindsey, I am so glad you showed me how to make this!)

February 8, 2011

February Visit

Last night Carl and I were bored and decided to play a game together. We played Mastermind... It was so fun! When it was my turn to hide the pattern and Carl's turn to figure it out, I laughed SO hard.... he would think out loud and some of the stuff he came up with was great. We had so much fun and played for about 2 hours!

Today, we had another CNM visit and just wanted to quickly write about how it went. I guess they installed a new way of booking patients, and they OVERBOOK one slot in the morning and afternoon. That means that when Carl and I got there, they were already really behind... so behind that we waited an hour to be seen. A WHOLE HOUR!!! We live in a tiny town and scheduled our appt for 10:30 on a Tuesday. I can't imagine how bad it is in the afternoon/early evening.

When we got back there, I was weighed and have lost another 2 lbs this month. That is a total of 6 lbs lost. When my midwife came in, she said that it hasn't been a big deal and as long as I am eating healthy and not starving, then it is all ok (then she made a little side note note that this weight loss actually results in me losing about 10 lbs and the baby stuff making up the difference).

We listened to the baby's heart and talked about going to Phoenix on Friday. The CNM suggested the regular: take breaks, move your feet, walk around, and don't be surprised if your feet swell.

I look forward to visiting family and meeting my niece... but am not really excited for swollen feet... well, I guess we'll see how it goes :)


February 7, 2011

Best snack EVER!!!

I was shopping yesterday and ran across these!

I tried to take a picture of the back, but it was blurry so I'm here to tell you that the only ingredient is fruit! THAT'S ALL!!! They are 100% fruit with no additives, including sugar (other than the apples which have cinnamon). There are 40 calories in the bag of apples, 45 in the strawberries and bananas, and 60 in the pineapples.

I bought these at Walmart for $.74. I just wish the bag was bigger! LOL I shared with Carl and we ate all 3 last night :)

Sooooo, if you see these at your local shopping center, pick them up and give them a try!

February 5, 2011

Dinner time

Tonights dinner. What to make???? I am hungry and ready to eat and a bit grumpy. I think I will eat some snap peas while I try to think of something easy to make. Considering the only thing I have eaten today is a pancake with blueberries, one mini cheesecake,and now some snap peas I decided that I could afford to make a less healthy meal. I was thinking about my taco sauce and thought about what it would be good on.

I came up with fried bean and cheese burritos. Like the kind you get at taco box or taco time. I thought it would be easy and taste super yummy with taco sauce, so I looked up a recipe and i found this:

I read it through and decided that beans, cheese, tortillas, and green chile for Carl would be all we'd need (along with oil... we used the smart oil) and of course my taco sauce :) We heated up the oil (left over and reused from our tempera batch a week ago) and made 2 burritos in no time!

They were really good and tasted like the ones you buy at those taco places. I enjoyed my taco sauce, but found that RIGHT after I was finished eating I had MEGA heartburn AGAIN! I have now found the culprit for my heartburn last week..... taco sauce. :'( WHY???? I have been wanting this sauce for years and have never found it, until just last week at Smith's. I was so excited to eat it and now I realize I can't until I am no longer pregnant...... that leaves 21 more weeks of no taco sauce :'(

Here are some pics of us cooking

The ingredients for our burritos


Frying it up


Flip it over



Finished product

These were really tasty but I am now facing horrible heartburn again.... oh well, at least I now know what to stay away from.

mini cheesecake

I was checking my e-mail the other day when I came upon this recipe for easy mini cheesecakes. I really feel like when I see something that looks good or read about something I can't get it out of my mind.... I MUST try it (at least until I read about or see something else that looks good).

SOOOO.... we went to the store and I picked up the few items the recipe called for and decided to make it. These were so easy! Just mix, bake, and eat. They looked so good and Carl and I ended up eating a warm one last night and then a cold one today... YUM! Here are some pictures




Here is what they looked like after baking and the cherries we put on top.
And yes, I did eat one before taking this picture... I couldn't resist!


Here is the finished product with cherries... Yum, right?

This just shows how good they really are :)


I think next time (and Carl has already requested a next time since we only have 4 more left) I will try to use mini muffin tins. These were good and really easy, but I think it would be fun to have a bite sized cheese cake, instead of a muffin sized cheesecake.

Here is the recipe I used, give it a try and let me know what you think!!
Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients
18 vanilla wafer cookies
2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Lemon curd or fruit preserves for topping, optional


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line muffin tins with decorative paper or foil baking cups. Place one vanilla wafer in the bottom of each cup.
3. In a medium mixing bowl or in the bowl of a standing mixer, add cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, then increase the speed to high and continue mixing for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
4. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin cups to ⅔ full.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and set. Remove from pans to cool, and refrigerate until serving. Top with lemon curd or preserves, if desired
Tips
· For a yummy variation, try substituting Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafer Cookies for the Nilla Wafers, and top with raspberry preserves.
· The cheesecakes can be made ahead (without the toppings), wrapped tightly, and frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost them in the fridge the night before, and top them before serving.