A few winning recipes

Hello! I always love getting new recipes recommended to me. Trying a new recipe that sounds great but doesn't taste great is such a bummer. We've tried a few new winning recipes recently so I thought I'd share them with you in case you are up to trying something new this week!  {I got these all via Pinterest}

Last night we tried these Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Oh my goodness. They contain no eggs or dairy and are gluten free as well. I made them with natural Peanut Butter, and I omitted the maple syrup. They didn't need any additional sweetness, in fact I might reduce the sugar a bit next time I bake them. And yes, that will be very soon. I tripled the recipe and got about 2 dozen cookies. Don't store them directly on top of each other, they stick.

For last night's dinner, we had this Crockpot beef stew. I love a good crockpot recipe, and since I'm so anxious for fall I've been dreaming of stews and soups all week. I got a good deal on stew meat at Costco so I knew this meal was going to find its way into our kitchen this week. It smelled heavenly all day long (I cooked it about 7 hours) and I loved the addition of mushrooms to this recipe. Besides the chopping of the veggies, its super simple and since all that can be done ahead of time its really an easy meal. Give it a try!

Ok lastly is a recipe for pancakes. We had them for dinner, but I ate the leftovers for both breakfast and lunch so its an all-around good recipe :) This was recommended by a friend on Facebook and the idea of Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes just couldn't be ignored, plus I was trying to pull dinner together without having to go to the grocery store. They were delicious and I had all the ingredients, so it was a double win! I might cut back just a bit on the chocolate chips next time to make them a little less desserty... but they were so, so good. Zoe's chocolate covered face was a ringing endorsement, and they will be made again soon.

Well, there are a few kitchen ideas for you, friends! Enjoy! Have any great recipes you've tried lately that you'd like to share?

19 months // 19 weeks

The last month of summer and I, for one, am glad. Not that I can complain about the weather we have been having, but I just love Fall. We've gotten a glimpse of it these past few weeks with cooler mornings and cool breezes. Bring on the chill in the air, the apples, the pumpkins, the baked goods and the sweaters! 

At 19 months, Zoe is full of energy and curious about everything. She wants everything named for her and points to each item over and over, especially her food on her plate, toys, picture books, etc. She makes the "aw" sound when giving hugs and if she's lazy she might just make the sound and kinda lean toward you as her "hug". Zoe loves helping- put groceries away, carrying things inside, putting things away in her room (always check in her second drawer, it's where everything ends up), put laundry in the washer and dryer... Seems like we will be pretty set with a housekeeper once baby 2 comes :)

Favorite activities include playing outside especially with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, or at the playground; watching Veggietale videos; reading books and trying to get her hands on whatever piece of technology is around and within reach. 

A few not-so-fun things right now: she's back to throwing food on the floor at every meal; picky appetite; blatant defiance. Her latest thing which is super naughty but super cute is closing her eyes and staying still when she's being told "no" or about to be corrected- like she's ignoring us or we can't see her anymore. Oh man it's so funny because where in the world did she come up with that? But man it is also so naughty. She is definitely helping to improve my prayer life. 

At 19 weeks, I'm feeling very pregnant but feeling good. Don't have much energy most days and am hungry all the time. Im definitely feeling flips and kicks which is one of my favorite parts. Our big ultrasound is on Friday! It's fun to see your little one in so much detail. We won't be finding out the sex of baby 2 again, it was a lot of fun to be surprised when Zoe arrived!

July Happenings

Hello there blog world! Once again I've been too busy with life to keep you updated so this will be a catch-all post for the past month. 

July 4th we had a cookout at our place and then went to the Air Force Memorial to watch the DC fireworks. Zoe did really well staying up hours past her bedtime... She wasn't too sure what to make of the fireworks but was captivated by them for sure. 

We spent a hot sticky afternoon exploring the Jefferson Memorial. July has finally brought normal hot and humid temperatures so our outdoor activities have been pretty limited. 

We spent part of a weekend with dear friends in Pa. Don't be fooled by the expressions, these two have a budding romance in their future :)

Geoff and I went to see the Brewers play the Nationals when they were in town. Good thing it was $1 hot dog night so the night wasn't a total bust ;) of course they won the games we didn't go to...

Our sweet Zoe turned 18 month old! Wow! She is talking so much now, though we don't understand most of it. She's starting to mimic us more, loves playing outside, loves trying on shoes... She wants to be the center of attention and hams it up when we Skype with her grandparents. She says "hi" and "bye" and waves to just about everyone we pass in the store, on the street, etc and keeps at it til they acknowledge her. Her appetite fluctuates a lot but fruit continues to be the consistent favorite. She is down to one longer afternoon nap now, although this latest teething episode has interrupted her sleep more than any other time I think. Poor girl takes so long to get her teeth it's like a continual cycle. These should be the last ones til she's 2. She is more of a mommy's girl right now for sure, and has started hating going to nursery at church. She cries and cries and cries. Hoping this doesn't last too long! She whines and is starting to tantrum when she doesn't get her way. Which is often. She is very opinionated and has a strong personality, but makes up for it with lots of hugs and kisses these days. The sweet moments certainly outnumber the terrible, but it's hard to remember that in the moment sometimes! My need for patience and grace grows daily, which is such a glaring reminder of my own need for my Savior. Parenting is truly designed to make you more holy!

Baby 2 is just about 17 weeks and growing big and strong. I had some bleeding this month that turned out to be nothing but scary, so we are extra grateful for a healthy baby so far! I'm getting some of my energy back and feeling good overall. Entering the stage of the continuous appetite though I fill up fast, but only for 30minutes :) It's definitely different the second time around when you just don't have so much time to think about it! Hard to believe in 6 months we'll have another!

Well I think that hits the high points of the month. Thanks for catching up with us!

Baby #2

Well I guess that title pretty much sums up our news :) We're thrilled to be welcoming a second baby into the family, and maybe just a little bit scared. Mostly thrilled :) How much harder can 2 be than 1, right? Don't answer that sweet, wise friends who have more experience at this than we do. We'll find out in due time. Speaking of which, my official due date is January 4th. That's 2 days before Zoe was due (she came late, on the 12th). Do we know how to plan or what. So Zoe should be just about to turn 2 when we welcome #2 home! If its another girl, it will work out well since clothing sizes should match up, and I can reuse my maternity clothes since I'm pregnant thru the same seasons. Of course this time at 12 weeks I'm about as big as I was at 18 weeks with Zoe... the second one doesn't play around! Since I ended up with a C-section with Zoe, we're still deciding whether to schedule a C-section at 39 weeks or try for a VBAC. So baby could be here before New Years.

In general I'm feeling good, just super tired. I can finally get through the day without napping but then I'm pretty much done by 7pm. Geoff has been an amazing help in the evenings! Thankfully I have a lot less food aversions this time and am mostly craving veggies and fruit. I also have less of a sweet tooth than normal, so that's been a nice change. A chocolate bar lived in the cabinet for over a month... unheard of!

We're staying in our 2-bedroom house so the kids will have to share a room. We'll have baby with us at first but not for too long hopefully. All of you who have done the baby/toddler room-sharing transition before, we'd love your input! Parenthood is hard but Zoe has been such a blessing and a joy, and we're so excited to expand our family! Can't wait to meet you, little peanut :)

Some May, Some June and 17months

May was a whirlwind for us. If June didn't have special days in the beginning that I needed to take note of, I'm not sure I'd believe it was already June.
* Geoff and I spent our first night away from Zoe in May. We took advantage of a free night we had with Marriott and stayed in downtown D.C. We went out to dinner at Matchbox, where we split the spicy meatball pizza and finished with a tower of donuts with chocolate dipping sauce. Yum. We had planned to go see Gatsby afterwards but it was sold out, so we saw Iron Man 3 instead. Since it was an after 10pm showing, the action of Iron Man might have been a better choice anyways... we got back to our room after 1am which is quite late for these parents. We "slept in" til 8 which was glorious, enjoyed a free breakfast, walked around the city a bit and then were admittedly anxious to get back to our little girl. A big thanks to her aunt Kara for staying with her, which gave us peace of mind. We might even do it again :)

* The following week we went to Wisconsin to visit Geoff's family. We had a great time visiting with them -- since we only see them about 2x a year it's fun to see how much Zoe has changed between visits. She helped Opa make the coffee everyday, and Oma got to show her off to friends and old teachers of Geoffs. We went to a wedding for one of Geoff's friends from high school... All in all Zoe kept everyone pretty entertained!

* Memorial Day wknd we spent in PA with my family. We had a cookout, did some shopping, visited with extended family, played games, celebrated my dad's birthday early... it was great!

*So far June has been much more relaxed but still eventful. Geoff and I just celebrated 6 years of marriage on the 9th. Aunt Kara willingly babysat again so we could go out -- we enjoyed a nice brunch at one of our favorite restaurants and then played a round of mini-golf. Pretty sure I beat Geoff for the first time ever so it was extra exciting :) What a blessing it has been to walk with this man by my side for these 6 years.

* And now today, Zoe is 17 months old! This is such a fun age, we're really enjoying it. Watching her learn so much and try to imitate us and wanting to do things for herself like buckle her car seat strap... its just amazing what they learn to do in a year! She's getting in 4 bottom teeth which have been giving her some pain but she is being a trooper about it. She loves to "help" unload groceries, load the washer and dryer, throw things away, and carry items for us. She understands so much of what we say (probably more than we even realize) and tries earnestly to respond. She speaks with conviction though we usually don't know yet what she is saying. Last night to said "oh no" for the first time and its pretty much the cutest thing ever. She says "no" and "yeah" and "hi" and "bye". She knows her ears, nose, eyes, tummy, teeth, mouth, head, hair, hands, feet, fingers and toes.