My funny little girl

One year ago, helping mommy bake

My little goof sitting in a mud puddle

One of her silly faces

I've always looked forward to the day when my little Emma would start showing her sense of humor. Over the past few months she has started opening up and letting some humor out. I was joking around with her a while back and picked up one of her shoes and answered it like a telephone. She gave me the "oh mom" look and moved on. I personally thought it was hilarious and was crushed that Emma didn't find it funny at all. Well, these last couple of weeks, she has started picking up random objects and pretending like they are a phone. She will say "Hello?" "uh huh" "okay" "bye". Sometimes she will even hand it over to me and say "here mommy! For you!". She comes up with some really funny objects to make into phones. The other day it was her tooth brush, her favorite blanket, and a cheerio. I laughed out loud with the blanket.

There are other little things she does that make me laugh too. She will come up and poke my nose, make a funny face at me, or my favorite is when she will jump off the coffee table and do a tuck and roll and stand up and shout "TaDa!".

Her laugh in contagious! It makes me laugh every time I hear it. Being a mom is such a rewarding experience. I'm so thankful that I was lucky enough to be chosen as Emma's mommy. Of course being a mom isn't all fun and games and happy times all the time. There have been some moments when my patience and sanity have been tested with her, but she has made be a better person and continues to make me learn and grow up. There have also been dark and lonely times in my life since she's been born and just looking at her and seeing her smile and hearing her laugh have made all the trials and hard times bearable. I love you little bug!

Things I've done

I was reading my friend Annaliese's blog and she had this on her blog and I thought it was really cool. You copy and paste the following to your blog and bold the things you have done.

1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31. Hit a home run . 32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Sung karaoke 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie or on a TV show 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Pieced a quilt. 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone’s life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee 100. Had the toilet seat cover hanging out of the back of your pants at Wal-mart when you were 7 months pregnant

My Sweet Little Angel/ Taco Soup/ Birthday Party Preps!

Ok, I'm going to brag a little about my daughter. This last week Emma has been such an angel. She wakes up happy and ready to go and is just full of hugs and kisses for Jacob and me. She does have some small moments here and there (she's not prefect) when she throws a fit but for the most part, this week so far has been wonderful. I think she may be going through a growth suprt though. She eats twice as much as I do at dinner now and takes 2-3 hour naps during the day. You should see how much this girl eats! I had one small helping of spaghetti the other night and she had 3 not huge but medium helpings. That's how it's been the last few nights. We haven't had any leftovers because Emma bats clean up at the dinner table! Speaking of dinner... here is this weeks recipe:

Taco Soup
1 lb ground beef

½ c chopped onion
3c water

1 (26 oz) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 (16 oz) kidney beans, undrained

1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
1 can corn

1 envelope taco seasoning

In a large saucepan cook ground beef and onion until meat is browned. Drain off excess fat. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and simmer for at least 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, tomatoes, green onions, and/or avocado. Makes 6 servings

For those of you who haven't ever had this before here is what I do. I take a handful of chips and crunch them up in my hands and put them in my soup. Then I put a tablespoon of sour cream on top and some grated cheese and stir it up. It is so simple and easy to make. When I was going to school, every Friday the institute would have Friday Forum and this was one of the dishes the secretary would make for us to eat afterward.

So everyone that voted on the cake liked the middle one the best and the top one second. I got to looking at the middle one a little closer and decided that it was above my level. I looks like they did screen printing on it for the grass and I've never done that before. I think I'm going to try the top cake and if I'm crunched for time then I'll probablly end up doing the bottom one.

I was looking around on the internet for Sesame Street Party Ideas and I found this really awesome website. I went to the dollar store and bought red, yellow, green and blue crate paper and balloons, yellow, green, and red die cut letters, and Sesame Street books for party favors. What I'm going to do is tape the die cut letters all over the walls and hang streamers and blow up balloons and let them just be on the floor for the kids to play with. I'm making a pin the nose on Elmo games and also a cookie monster cookie toss game. I wish I had batteries for my camera so I could show off the Elmo invites I made.

For the food, we are making homemade pizzas, jell-o jigglers in different shapes, and we are going to have a fruit and veggie tray with homemade dips to go with them. I'm also going to have soem goldfish crackers in a container for people to guess how many fish are in the container with a prize for the winner.

I'm really excited about the birthday party! It isn't for a couple weeks but I'm still excited.

This is for you Stacey!/ Help me pick Emma's birthday cake!!!!

I'm making crock pot chilli for dinner tonight and Stacey wanted the recipe so here it is:

Hearty Beef and Bean Chili
1 ½ pounds ground beef

1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (10 ¾ oz) can tomato soup
1 (14 ½ oz) can diced tomatoes

½ c water
2 (15 oz) cans red kidney beans

¼ c chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin

Cook beef in skillet until browned. Pour off fat. Mix beef with rest of ingredients in a crock-pot. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or for 4-5 hours on high or until done.

Emma's birthday is on the 15th of November so I'm starting to gather ideas for it. I'm going to do a Sesame Street theme and need you opinions on the birthday cake that I should decorate. I've looked at a lot online and have narrowed it down. Let me know what you think.

Oh and also just before I got on the computer to post this entry, I told Emma it was time to take a nap. At the time I was cooking up the hamburger to put in the chilli and didn't think about what I had said to Emma for about 5 minutes. I turned around and she wasn't in the kitchen so I went looking for her and she was laying down in her bed reading a book! What a good little girl! Too bad everyday isn't like today!

My first Dr. Appointment!/ Some Dang good Chicken Curry!

Well, yesterday was my first doctor's appointment. It was a good appointment besides that fact that I've already gained 6 pounds! (Fatty!). I didn't gain any weight with Emma until the last trimester so this whole gaining weight early on is a little wierd. The doctor told me that if all goes well this time around that there is no reason why I can't have a natural birth! I hated my C-Section with Emma. It does horrible things to your stomach! Anyway, next appointment I get to have an untrasound to look at the baby. I'm 9 weeks along as of today.

Emma is taking naps again!!! There were 2 weeks where all she did was play in her room but now she has taken a nap everyday this week which is 3! On Sunday we all layed down in our bed to see if we could get Emma to nap with us. (Jacob and I both had really bad head aches). We woke up 2 hours later and the princess was still sleeping! It is so nice because now she will nap anywhere form 30 minutes to 2 hours and go to bed at 8 and wake up at 7:30. I love it!

Our truck is now offically fixed thanks to my wonderful dad and wonderful husband. A couple of Jacob's co-workers were surprised to see the truck roll up into the parking lot again. It's nice to not have to take Jacob out to Richland and pick him up everyday.

This weeks recipe is the only thing that has sounded good to me lately (besides Taco soup which I will post next week). I absolutely love it!


½ c onion, chopped
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ c celery, chopped
salt and pepper
¼ c salad oil
1 tsp curry powder
1/3 c flour
2 c chicken, cooked and diced
2 c chicken broth
1 c tomato juice
4 c hot cooked rice

Brown onion and celery in oil. Add flour and blend. Add broth and cook until thickened. Stir constantly. Add tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning and chicken. (I add more curry powder). Heat thoroughly. Serve over rice. Serve with any of the following condiments: Raisins, bacon bits, crushed pineapple, coconut, diced hard boiled egg, chutney, diced olives, pickle relish, cashews, or peanuts.

I will confess that I don't put celery in mine. I think celery is gross. I also add more curry than it calls for and some ginger to taste. We had this for dinner last night and I thought Emma was going to eat it all. I really enjoy it wil the pineapple, coconut and olives on the top. We eat this with green beans on the side. ( I count the pineapple as our fruit side dish).

Please Excuse my Blondeness!

This last week was CRAZY! My parents came over for the 3 day weekend and we took out our old window and put in a new one and made over our living room closet. I'm still trying to clean up the house after 3 days of neglecting it. What made it worse was that I felt like crap and spent a lot of time leaning over the toilet wanting to puke (but never did). Emma is officially not taking naps now which means a very tired and cranky mommy.
The truck is kinda fixed. It turns out we needed new spark plugs and a cap and router and new vacuum hoses (we fixed 2 of 3). For now I am dropping Jacob off at work and picking him up until we get the hoses we need.
Needless to say yesterday was Tuesday and I totally spaced out. As a result you are going to get a new recipe on Wednesday instead (gasp!). Hopefully I will be able to keep my days straight for the rest of the week.
OH and on Monday I have my first doctors appointment and I'm hoping that I will be able to hear the baby's heart beat. I will be 9 weeks along and I was 10 weeks when I heard Emma's heart beat so keep your fingers crossed. I'm still trying to think of what recipe I want to post. There are so many good ones and of course I haven't been cooking so I don't have pictures of any of them. A salad sounds really good to me right now so a salad recipe it is!

Romaine Salad with Avocado Dressing

1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and cubed

½ c mayo

¼ c vegetable oil

3 Tbs. lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, peeled

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp hot pepper sauce

1 bunch romaine, torn

3 medium tomatoes, cut in wedges

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

1 (2 ¼ oz) can sliced ripe olives, drained

2 green onions, chopped

corn chips

For the dressing, place the avocado, mayo, vegetable oil lemon juice, garlic cloves, salt and pepper sauce in a food processor; cover and process until blended. In a large bowl, combine the romaine, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, olives and onions. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the corn chips. Yield: 12 servings

I love LOVE LOVE this salad recipe. I got it from my Taste of Home Magazine. I wish I had the ingredients to make this right now. It has a lot of flavor and would go well with anything you want to serve it with.My apologies for the randomness of the photos. I'm having a brain cramp and can't figure out where to put the photos. You get the jumbled mess. I hope you get the point though. It looks so much better than it did.

Really good dips/ No more naps/Farewell to the truck

I haven't been cooking much this week so I haven't been able to take pictures of any yummy food. I really just don't want to eat anything and it's getting really annoying. I made my Grandma Trogdon's pumpkin pie recipe last night and it just didn't taste good to me. I thought I'd switch it up this week and post some dips and appetizers that I like. The two dips are ones I made last year for Emma's 1st birthday party. They are both sooooooo good!

Sour Cream Fruit Dip

1 cup light sour cream
¼ c apricot or peach preserves
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, cardamom, pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice
Apple, pear, or peach slices

In a small bowl stir together the sour cream, apricot preserves, and desired spice. Cover and chill for 1-24 hours. Serve with fruit slices. Yield: 1 cup dip

Creamy Black Bean Dip

I got this picture off the Taste of Home website

2 packages (8oz each) fat-free cream cheese
1 can (15oz) black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
¾ c shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
6 green onions, chopped
1 ½ tsp ground cumin Dash of cayenne pepper
Topping:
¼ c shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese 2 Tbs. diced fresh tomato
2 Tbs. chopped green onion

In a food processor, cover and process cream cheese until smooth. Add ½ of the beans.
Cover and pulse until blended. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in cheese, onions, cumin, cayenne, and remaining beans. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or over night.
Just before serving garnish with cheese, tomato and onion. Serve with tortilla chips. Yield: 3 cups serving size ¼ cup

For the black bean dip I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese because I think fat free tastes like poo. I got the Fruit Dip recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and the Black Bean Dip from my taste of home cookbook. Everyone loved the dips and I did too. I haven't made them since because I'm too afraid of eating the whole thing by myself! I figured that since Halloween is just around the corner these would be a great idea for any party.
Here is the existing window. It's really big! Sorry it's probablly hard to see. I should've closed the curtains but my camera was dieing.

My parents are coming over this weekend and we are going to take out our front window and put in a shorter one. It should be quite the project and I'm not that excited about it happening but I am excited about having a smaller window. The new window is the one we took out of the kitchen and replaced with a sliding glass door. The window is a foot longer but I think 2 or 3 feet shorter. It will be nice to have a window that I can actually open and get some air flow in the summer months.

I think I am seeing the last days of naps for my little Emma. She has been going every other day not taking a nap and then taking like an hour nap the next day. Yesterday she didn't take one and right now she is in her room playing and has been for the last hour. At least she is playing I guess. The problem is is that she goes to bed at the same time and wakes up an hour earlier now. I don't know what to do. I guess there is nothing I can do. She is choosing to not take naps anymore and it's not like I can force her to close her eyes and sleep. She is really good for the rest of the day too when she doesn't nap but I'm tired because I would take a nap at the same time on some days when I was super tired.

Yesterday I put in a movie and started watching it with her and fell asleep. I woke up about 20 minutes later and Emma had put all her blankets on me. When she saw that I was awake she said "Good morning mommy!" and gave me a kiss. It was the sweetest thing! I didn't even realize that I had fallen asleep. I'm turning into Serena! (Sorry for giving you such a hard time back in the day Serena... now I never can get through a movie either!)

And lastly I think our truck (Big Birtha) is finally going to say goodbye. Jacob took it to work yesterday and on the way home it kept dieing. It took him an hour to get home from Richland which is usually a 20 minute drive. Every time Jacob stopped the truck died. He pulled over and tried to fix it but he couldn't find any problems. This morning we started it up to check the transmission fluid because it also wouldn't shift into the higher gear when he went over 35mph. The fluid level was fine and the oil level was fine. As soon as I let off the gas the truck would die and even when I held down the gas pedal it was fighting to stay alive. It's been a great truck. We got it for free almost 3 1/2 years ago from my parents and Its survived multiple trips from Ellensburg to Twisp, to Port Orchard, to Seattle, and down to Colorado and back. They just don't make trucks like that anymore! Thankfully it got Jacob home safely! For now it is sitting in the driveway. It still starts up just fine so I'm hoping my dad will be able to fix it but if not... here's to you Big Birtha! We had a lot of fun times together.

Dang it! I want my sandwich!

Today I went walking with my friends Stacey and Karen and when we got done I was really hungry. Lately nothing except my peach smoothie has sounded or tasted good so I pretty much don't eat. I finally had a craving come into my head that sounded AWESOME!! There is this place called Wheat Montana here that makes wonderful deli sandwiches. It's all the way down by the temple (ok... the temple is like 10-15 mintues from my house depending on traffic) and I was wondering if it was worth the drive.

I decided that it's not everyday when food sounds good so away we went in our old beat up 1983 Ford F150 truck (Jacob took the car to work). On the way to the Deli I am talking to Emma about how we are going to a place that makes really yummy sandwiches. She is getting really excited and so is my stomach. Since I was dressed in workout clothes I decided to go through the drive through. I whip the truck around the back side of the building and pull up to the drive though window. There is a sign that says "Drive through window is closed"... okay... no biggie I will just go inside looking like a sweaty homeless person who stole a very neat and tidy little girl. So I whip around to the parking lot... there is NOTHING in the store! Apparently there is no more Wheat Montana Deli! I burst out loud "Oh no!!". Emma who has gotten all worked up about having this wonderful sandwich yells "Dang it! I want my sandwich!" I had to hold my laughter in since she was obviously upset about not getting a sandwich.

By this time my stomach was really growling. I had to think of something fast. DQ is right down the road but that would mean the temptation to buy a Blizzard which I DO NOT need! I start driving back toward home while looking for a place to eat. Mind you it's the 12 o'clock hour so everyone and their dog is out to get a bite to eat. Sonic is packed, Quizno's is packed. All along Emma keeps repeating the words "Dang it! I want my sandwich!"

Then all of a sudden there it is... like a beacon of light... Carl's Jr. Emma points to it "Star!!!" (The star is the logo just in case you were failing to see the connection). I really liked their Charbroiled BBQ Chicken sandwich the last time we ate there like forever and a day ago. I pulled into the drive through and ordered. When we get home I eat and think my taste buds haven't tasted anything this good in forever. After finishing the sandwich I was able to think about what I had just eaten... "Oh my goodness! What have I done!!??" The good feeling is gone and I start thinking about all the calories that I just ate. Suddenly I feel sick. Why did I eat that? How gross!!!

And that my friends is how my life has been for the last month. I absolutely loved that Emma said "Dang it! I want my sandwich!" and just had to share it with you. Kids are such a wonderful blessing and I'm glad Emma is here to entertain me and keep me on my toes.

If you need to get a hold of me I will be on my elliptical trying to get the yucky sandwich out of my system!! I think being pregnant has turned me into a nut! I hope all of you are having a great day.