Monday Update

Here's a quick update on what's been going on here.

The boys were sick last week.

They spent lots of time on the couch while I washed a record number of laundry loads.

They are extremely energetic boys so for them to lay still on the couch meant something was seriously wrong.

Here are a few pics from our "sick days".

Notice the bowl next to him?

I'll spare you the details.

Thankfully the bug only lasted two days or so and they gained their full energy back in no-time!

I, on the other hand, could stand an extended break from laundry/cleaning duties.

They made a full recovery just in time for a mini snow storm.

After 48 hours of cleaning, washing, disinfecting, and kid-neglecting, I decided to throw my "to-do" list out the window on Friday and devote the entire day to my kiddos.

We has so much fun!

We went sledding (picture this: Me pulling Jace and Will on the sled in our FLAT backyard. Jace hollering the whole time, "Faster, Mom! Faster!" It was quite the workout!)

Drank lots of hot chocolate.

We colored and painted.

Went "diving" (Piled every pillow in the house on the floor as boys jumped off the bed).

I had fun watching the boys get along (Hallelujah!) and use their imaginations.

Here are a few pictures of the boys bundled up ready to play in the snow!

And thawing out (back) on the couch with some hot chocolate!

It's nap time at our house and I think I might join 'em today.

This preggo mama is pooped!

Happy Monday, friends!

Chicken Quesadillas!

Ever get into a rut when it comes to serving food to your kids?

I know I do!

When Greg and I have a date planned (which we shoot for once a week), it's usually boxed mac and cheese (bleh!) & hotdogs OR frozen chicken nuggets & tater tots (also bleh!) for the little ones.

What else can I make these little rascals that doesn't come in a box or the frozen foods aisle?

Ding ding ding! Chicken & cheese quesadillas!

Who doesn't love tortillas, chicken, and cheese?

(Besides my sister's weirdo husband, Uncle Jolly!)

I know I do!

I've started buying a rotisserie chicken from the deli about once every two weeks or so. It's nice to have the meat on hand for various dishes (i.e. chicken pot pie, chicken casserole, etc).

It's PERFECT for this dish!

Get out your hot griddle.

Spray your tortillas with cooking spray.

Sprinkle cheese and shredded chicken in between two layers of tortillas.

Heat through until cheese is melted and tortillas are lightly toasted.

Cut with pizza cutter.

Serve these suckers up with some salsa, sour cream, that summer Indiana sweet corn that you froze during the summer, and some apple sauce.

Es muy bueno!

Pantry Organization!

Since Will and Jace don't exactly make ball games relaxing for me, I've opted out of most of our away games this season.

I'm hoping to get back to my super-fan status for the remainder of the season by not missing any more games.

I am thankful, however, that we get to listen in on the radio and follow the Wildcats through various local radio stations.

So what do I do, you ask, while listening to the games?

(Besides the obvious pacing, yelling, nail-biting, and occasional cursing?)

I get organized!

My pantry was a complete disaster!

It was messy, disorganized, and I honestly wasn't sure what I had stocked (or living) in there!

Perfect stress reliever while listening to the game: Clean out the pantry!

I got busy.

I emptied.

I cleaned.

I purged.

I organized.

And I re-loaded our food back into our pantry.

Ahh. What a great feeling!

I know the picture doesn't look that drastic but BELIEVE ME, it is!

Some things I learned about myself during this process...

1. I love chips.

I already knew this about myself but I wasn't sure to what extent.

Here's the proof.

I am a salty girl (always have been) and this goes to show that I need some serious help.

Five bags of chips for a family of 4.

Geesh.

2. Stop buying BBQ sauce!

It is not secret that we love BBQ (heck, I'm married to Mr. Meat Smoker Extraordinaire!) but this just seems a little excessive.

And on top of this, there were three opened bottles in the fridge!

Yikes.

Note to self: Stop buying BBQ sauce for the next few months.

3. Stop going to Tastefully Simple Parties and buying beer bread.

Apparently I need to stock up on some brewskis and get busy bread makin'!

These are value packs (3 in each) so this makes 9 loaves of beer bread.

Hello carbs, we meet again!

Anywho.

I know my pantry organization probably isn't exactly the most interesting blog material but that's about as exciting as we get 'round here these days.

Now go organize something that needs it in YOUR home!

Holla back, friends!

Grocery Run

Ran to the grocery store this morning.

This is what I had in my shopping cart when I checked out.

Item 1: Red Wine (for my pot roast, but of course!)

Item 2: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (for the baby, but of course!)

Nothing like a pregnant woman waddling through the checkout line with a bottle of wine and some doughnuts in hand!

I'm sure I provided a good laugh for the cashier and bagger-boy.

You're welcome!

Next post: Before and after pantry organization!

Excited? I am!

I Scream!

I scream!

You scream!

We all scream...

For ice scream!

Well, ice cream has officially become one of the major food groups in our home.

It has become Baby #3's food of choice.

Mint chocolate chip, por favor.

I am typically more of a salty person, but I can't get enough of the sweet stuff!

Not something I will be boasting about when I'm trying to get in my Hawaii-bod shape for next winter.

Did I mention we are going to Hawaii???

With 7 month old baby and all! Yikes!

Happy day to you!

Boohoo!

Have you ever cried for no reason?

Yup, that was me last night!

Had myself in a full-out blubbering cry but never could quite pin-point the reason.

Ehh, I think I'll blame it on the pregnancy and my volatile hormones.

Someone please tell me you've been there!

Anywho.

I can't believe that my baby boy will be a big brother in a few short months!

He loves babies, despite his aggressive and wild nature.

While I am sad that he will no longer be my youngest, I can't wait to see him embrace the role of big bro!

Come to think of it, maybe this was the reason for all my tears.

Time is going way too fast.

My babies are becoming boys before my very own eyes.

And that's just a little too much for this mama to handle.

Love our boys so much!

J-Lo comes to town!

Had a BLAST with my sis, Lauren, and her adorable family when they came to visit a few days before Christmas.

The kids did very well together and it was so fun to see the boys playing well with their cousins!

I L.O.V.E.D getting to snuggle my 7-week old nephew!

And how adorable is my sis? Umm, hello, I never looked that good 7-week post baby. Heck, I never looked that good post-baby. Period!

Will also enjoyed snuggling with little JP.

We had to watch him pretty closely or it could have ended real bad. :/

So sad to say goodbye!

But look forward to our next meeting!

And hopefully lots of these!!

Love you, Aunt Lo-lo, Uncle Jolly, Mojo, and JP!! Thanks for squeezing us in for a visit!

Tackle

When Greg asked this guy...

to say one thing he liked about this guy...

He replied, "I like to tackle him!"

Not exactly what we were going for, but hey, it's progress!

Hmm... I wonder where he learned it!

Happy tackling, friends!

Trim

We gave the boys a little hair trim last night.

They sat surprisingly still.

With a little help from the Berenstain Bears.

After a nice bath, we snuggled up in their Christmas jammies,

had a family devo on the meaning of Christmas,

and enjoyed the kids' tree in their room.

I wish we had more evenings like this one!

O Tannenbaum!

How lovely are your branches!

Just wanted to post a few pictures of our boys since my blogging skills have been less than impressive lately.

And our Christmas tree. A couple pictures of our tree. :)

Love getting the house all ready for Christmas!

And now on to the boys...

Will was mad when I pulled him out of the tub tonight.

When they've splashed more water out of the tub than what's left in the tub, bath time is over. That's what happened tonight.

As you can see, our Will-boy was not a happy camper.

He recovered quite quickly.

I want to know whoever came up with the name "terrible twos"!

Umm, more like terrible threes! This child has been tough lately!

I'm thankful for the sweet moments he manages to squeeze in between temper tantrums.

Tonight he told me that "Jesus is my newborn King!"

Will post more regularly this week.

Promise!

Cowboy!

I swear I've seen this guy on the streets of NYC...

Cutest cowboy ever!