menu plan monday

So here is our menu for this week.  

Last week I didn't end up following it exactly but that's ok.

Monday 

Frozen Meatballs

Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans

(Last week we were supposed to have these and I forgot early in the day to get them out of the freezer so we ended up having to switch things up....oops! :)

Tuesday 

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

recipe via pinterest :)

Wednesday

Tuna Sandwiches

This is one of my "go-to" easy meals and we all happen to really like tuna....

we're crazy I know :)

Thursday

Homemade Pizza with Trader Joe's Garlic Pizza crust mmmmm.

Friday

Probably order Chipotle online and have Tyler pick it up

on his way home from work :)

Saturday/Sunday

Eat out for my Birthday? ;)

Ice Cream cake?  

Are these enough hints, Tyler?  Oh wait, you never read the blog.  

This will be a good test to see if you do!

Have a great week everyone!

photo challenge {days 2-9}

Day 2: What you wore today

Shirt - Christmas present from my awesome sister-in-law Kelsey! Love it!

Scarf - Christmas present from my mom

Jeans - still my maternity jeans...oh weight I would like to lose you and never find you again!

Day 3: Clouds

Very cloudy day here

Day 4: Something Green

We've got lots of these around the house again!

Day 5: From a high angle

My boys on a lazy afternoon

Day 6: From a low angle

Day 7: Fruit

mmmmm....banana!

Day 8: A bad habbit

I need to stop drinking this so much but it's OH so good!

Day 9: Someone you love

Love of my life....every so often he'll wear a suit to work and he looks

 pretty darn handsome in it if you ask me!

the next 7 days of the challenge will (hopefully) be posted next week sometime :)

what's for supper?

we have been so blessed to have had meals provided for us a couple times a week since Caedmon

was born.  it was simply amazing and we are so grateful for all our friends who sacrificed their time

and energy to make us a meal.  

so because of that, i really haven't cooked much at all for the past month and am now just getting

back into it and menu planning.  i have yet to go to the grocery store with the two boys, Tyler has been going with a list made by me in hand.  

i've found, over the years that by making a menu plan for the week on sunday evening and then getting groceries on monday morning saved both money and my sanity.  i go through the sunday ads/coupons and make my menu based on what's on sale that week or what i have coupons for.  

and it saves my sanity because i know there is a plan for the week and i'm not scouring through the cupboards at 5::30 praying we have some noodles and spaghetti sauce :)

so i'm going to try and post our weekly menu, to try and get myself back on track.

I'm only posting 5 days worth of meals because we almost always have leftovers that stretch at least one, maybe two days and also on the weekends we usually eat out once.

I'm not including side dishes because those are pretty random.  Usually at least one vegetable and sometimes bread or a salad.  

Monday: we had Chicken Milano (recipe below) and green beans. it's my favorite dish!

Tuesday: Beef Stroganoff - recipe from Lynda.  this is Tyler's favorite dish and it's super easy so I make it for him quite often.

Wednesday: Freezer meatballs - Lynda made these up for us while she was here and put them in the freezer for me!  Love my awesome mother -in-law!  She rocks! :)

Thursday: Chicken and noodles

Friday: Chicken Pot Pie

Sat./Sunday: eat out/leftovers

Chicken Milano 

8 oz. bowtie pasta

2 tb. butter

1-2 cloves garlic

mushrooms

1/4 c. sundried tomatoes

2-3 tb. chicken base

1 c. heavy whipping cream

2 tb. chopped basil

1 lb. chicken breast

boil or bake chicken breasts and shred.  Set aside.  cook pasta and set aside.  sautee mushrooms in butter and garlic.  in a separate pot boil 1 c water and chicken base with the sundried tomatoes and bring to a boil.  boil until tomatoes are soft.  add mushrooms.  add 1 c heavy cream and basil and bring to a boil.  heat until sauce covers the back of a spoon.  Add chicken and sauce to pasta, stir and serve.

this momma is a little more rested....

bless you, child.

{5 weeks}

Dinosaurs happy and dinosaurs sad....

Lincoln learned the last words to every line in the book, "Oh my, Oh my, Oh Dinosaurs!"  Just thought I'd share (because it's super cute of course!) and for all the Grandmas, Grandpas, Aunts and Uncles (and anyone else who cares too :)  

Oh and you get to hear Tyler's amazing singing voice :)  He'd be embarrassed if he knew I posted this!  Shhhhh don't tell! :) hehe

(oh and sorry it's so dark!)

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a mini lincoln with a rounder face?

SINCE CAEDMON WAS BORN I AND LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE THOUGHT THAT HE WAS A MINI LINCOLN SO I THOUGHT I'D DO A LITTLE PICTURE COMPARISON WITH THEIR NEWBORN PICTURES.

LINCOLN 6 1/2 WEEKS OLD 6LBS

CAEDMON 2 WEEKS OLD 5 LBS 8OZ

LINCOLN HAS A MUCH LONGER FACE WHERE AS CAEDMON'S IS MORE ROUNDER. 

YOU CAN REALLY TELL IN THIS PICTURE.
I THINK THEY LOOK REALLY DIFFERENT HERE.

THEY LOOK A LOT ALIKE IN THESE TWO!

VERY SIMILAR FEATURES...LIPS, NOSE

I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE HOW THEY EACH GROW UP AND TAKE ON THEIR OWN PERSONALITIES, AS LINCOLN HAS ALREADY STARTED TO SHOW A LOT OF!  

SO NOW WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK?  IS HE STILL A MINI LINCOLN? :)

caedmon {newborn photos}

Here are some pictures from Caedmon's newborn photo session with the uh-mazing Jaclyn Reiss of

jreiss photography.  She did such an incredible job and the pictures turned out so great!  She was so good with getting Caedmon calm for the pictures....definitely made the session stress-free for me!  

I really wish Lincoln would've been in a more cooperative mood for the pictures so we could've gotten more of just him and Caedmon but such is life with an unpredictable 2 year old!  

This might just be my favorite.

caedmon {1 month}

Caedmon Jay {1 month old}

I am so in love with this little man!

*eating every 2-3 hours during the day, 2.5-4 hours at night depending on how lucky I am.  The good thing is, you usually go right back to sleep after a feeding at night so at least I'm not up all night long, just long enough to feed and snuggle you and lay you back down in your bassinet.  

*pretty easy going - you are content just sitting in your swing, carseat or bouncy seat as long as you don't have a gas bubble in your tummy, which you seem to have a LOT of.  Gassy boy!

*like, wait, lets change that to LOVE bath time.  you cry during transition between getting your clothes off/on and the bath but once in the bath you stop crying immediately....it's so funny!

*hard to burp, or hard to get all your burps.  you've started spitting up more.  

*like your pacifier....we've tried different kinds and have settled on the green soothie one like your brother had.

*possibly have reflux.  all the new spitting up is making me wonder.  I watch to see if it hurts you or not and you're not consistent either way so we'll keep watching to see.

*weight: 7 lbs 7 oz.

*Eat, Wake, Sleep schedule is starting to form.  You're still pretty sleepy all day.

And here are some of the "out takes" from our quick photo shoot....

Ahhhhh!  It's the attack of the giant bear!  Courtesy of big brother, Lincoln :)

Of course Lincoln WANTS his picture taken now...2 weeks ago at an actual photoshoot, he throws a fit......ah the joys of a 2 year old!

I love how Caedmon is looking at Lincoln

Lincoln's thinking, "Put a cork in it, kid! You're too loud!"

2012 Reading List

So I'm going to try reading one book each month for the year.  I tried this last year and failed miserably. 

So I'm trying it again and hoping I do better this year! :)

Instead of assigning a book to each month I just made a list and I'll pick and choose which book I want to read next just because it makes it a little easier on me AND I have more than 12 books so hopefully this way I'll read all of them!

Right now I'm reading the first two books.  The first one with our couple's Life Group and the second one with our church's mom's group.  They are both AMAZING so far, highly recommend both of them if you are married and/or a mom. 

The Meaning of Marriage

A Mother's Heart

Kisses From Katie

This girl is so inspiring.  I love her blog and can't wait to read this book.

Treasuring God in our Traditions 

Karen Kingsbury Bailey Flanigan Series:

I love anything written by Karen Kingsbury and I think these 4 are the only 

ones left that I haven't read of hers!

Leaving

Learning

Longing

Loving

Creative Correction

This book gives all sorts of creative ways to discipline/correct your child.  

Definitely needing this right now!

Shepherding a Child's heart

The Hunger Games

LOTS of people have recommended these.  Can't wait to read 'em!

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

I started this one already, got it from my mom for Christmas.

Wild Swans

Recommended by my friend Kendra.  Tells stories of three generations of women in China.

So there's my list!  I'm at least off to a good start since I'm in the middle of reading three of them already! :)