Pete's Visit!

We were so excited to get to spend a week with Pete, Alex and Cooper! We don't get to see them very often and it is always such a good time. Cooper is 18 months old now and has changed so much since the last time we saw him. Alex is really growing up and is such a mature young man. Pete & Melissa should really be proud.



While they were in we celebrated Elaine's first birthday. She is almost walking on her own, it won't be long now!

Orlando

At the end of January Joe and I needed to be at a trade show for work. We were luck enough to work it out so we could take Leah with us, the show was in Orlando and we were able to get to Disney and Universal.

Even though aren't huge into the princesses at home Leah understood they were something special. She enjoyed the whole experience and was so exhausted by the end of the trip.



Leah met Cinderella, Belle and Sleeping Beauty. Belle was my favorite, she was very sweet and had a nice conversation with Leah.

The question we had the most when we told family was if Leah understood that she was going to be a big sister. We held off on talking to her about it until we told all our family because she is a big repeater with an outstanding memory. Well, Monday was her first day back at daycare after 2 weeks off and it didn't take long for her to spill the beans. She repeated an entire conversation I had with her once, about a week before. She seems excited though. We did a craft today and she asked me to draw her, myself, and Joe. Then she asked me to draw the baby sister (we don't know what we're having yet). She asked me to draw Grandpa and Miss Leslie from school, too.

This pregnancy is turning out to be a lot like the first. I had a meat aversion that I thought I was going to escape this time, but it is in full affect. And the aversion hit me at about the same point in the pregnancy last time, too. Hopefully it will only last a few weeks!

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas!

So much to say, so little time...
Christmas was great. We had family in town and then we went to visit more family! It is always great to have everyone together.

Our trip to Philadelphia included meeting our newest niece Elsa, playing in 24" of snow that (thankfully) fell before we got there, and going to the Please Touch Museum.

Here are some pictures from our adventures.

Leah with her aunt Jenni

Leah's first snowman

Tim, Sara & baby Elsa

The grandparents with the granddaughters

Leah took holding baby Elsa very seriously.

The Please Touch Museum

And to share some more exciting news - we are expecting our second child! I am due in July. We told our parents by having them open a picture of the ultrasound. The reactions made for some good photos.

"Thanks for the picture frame."
No mom, the frame isn't the gift.

"Why are they giving us a picture of Leah's ultrasound now?!?

Oh! Your future baby?!?

Hmm...

Well yeah, I know it's a picture of a baby.

Ha! You're pregnant!

Have you heard?

I'm 30 now. The big 3-0. Joe was sweet enough to take me to Vegas for my birthday where we ate some very nice meals (I am spoiled now) and saw the Cirque de Soleil show O. When I lived in Huntsville, Joe and I watched a Bravo series on the making of another Cirque show, Ka I think, and we saw their auditorium show in Memphis a few years ago.

O was fantastic! I snapped a few pictures before the show started.

This is the ceiling of the theater. The middle part is actually a trapeze that comes down at the beginning of the show.

The stage.

The mimes came out at the beginning and made appearances throughout the show. They were pretty funny. They got some of the audience members wet, who didn't seem to happy about it.

Us before the show.

And of course, one of the cutest helpers you could ever have in the kitchen.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese

This is super tasty and should be a hit with any kid - BUT, I should warn you. It is not diet friendly. :)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
2 packets ranch seasoning
2lb grilled chicken, cut into bite size pieces1lb bacon, cooked crispy and chopped
1 pound elbow macaroni
3 cups coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

In a heavy saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat. Add flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes.

Add milk in a stream, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking.

Add 1 1/2 packets ranch seasoning, and simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 2 minutes.

In a kettle of salted boiling water cook macaroni until just al dente, about 7 minutes, and drain well.

In a large bowl stir together macaroni, bacon, chicken, sauce, Cheddar, and 1 cup Parmesan. Reserve 1/2 cup bacon.

In a small bowl stir together bread crumbs, remaining ranch seasoning, remaining bacon, and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Or you can sprinkle these ingredients over the casserole separately.

Bake macaroni in middle of oven 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

November has passed so fast! Joe and I are excited to welcome the newest member to our family, Elsa Maxine was born on the 16th. She is adorable and we can't wait to meet her!

Thanksgiving was great and Leah enjoyed spending lots of time with family. We hosted my side for dinner and then played a couple of rounds of Scene It! My sister brought the Simpsons version and surprisingly the girls almost won. Who would have guessed? Crissie, Steve & Jenni took the girls to the Thanksgiving Day Parade downtown, Steve took all the girls to Monkey Joe's one day and Crissie and I took them to the City Museum. It was a full week!

I will leave you will the latest from Leah.

-Do you need to go potty before your bath?

-No, I'll just go in the bath.

Funny girl. So of course I made her sit on the potty until she went.