Wrapping the year up--2012

I love thinking back on the year and remembering the good things and the bad. Here goes:

We spent NYE 2011 eating halibut nuggets and french fries waiting for Cole to get home. I don't even think Cole and I made it to midnight last year!

January: I started the year with a hefty list of goals and am very happy to report that I completed just about half of them! I created a household binder and got rid of all of the piles of paper in different boxes around my house! I can happily say I've followed a meal plan most of the year and am cooking for scratch 5-6 nights a week. We didn't do as much traveling as I would have like but the boys and I did visit Oregon for a few weeks. I spent several months this spring and summer running and used a few different videos here at home. I lost 25lbs in just a few months but managed to gain almost half of it back while trying to conceive in the fall. January was a busy month for Cole at work and it was such a relief to have him home more towards the end of January.

February: I struggled big time in February. The kids were both doing great and Cole was right there with them but I had a heck of a time! I felt as if I didn't fit in and I was really having a hard time at church, I was very home sick. I was so glad to say good bye to February!

March: Spring Break!!! I was gifted a trip to Fairbanks thanks to my fabulous mother-in-law. Joshua and I caught a flight to -20 weather....I was able to spend 3 days with two of my sister-in-laws while Cole and Cameron had a BOYS WEEKEND! Cole took his full week off from work and enjoyed every minute of his PTO. Cameron and Joshua both had ear infections this months as well.

April: I started running this month. I felt so good to be running again. We celebrated 1 full year in Alaska this month as well. It was such a bitter-sweet celebration...we sure miss our family but we are so very happy to have made a home that is all ours!

May: Cameron finished preschool and I won't hide the fact that I cried. The day after his last day we took a red eye to Medford and surprised my sister! It was the best surprise ever and I am so happy and grateful the boys and I had the opportunity to go home. We spent 3 weeks in Oregon and spent tons of time playing with cousins and grandmas and papas. It was so fun.

June: I turned 26...June was pretty low key and easy going...Joshua was pretty sick mid June and we had some friends share great news with us and terrible news with us. I was counting my blessing in June.

July: July was spent playing outside as much as we could when it wasn't raining! I had to stop running in July as my knee started bothering me. This would also be the month that we decided it was time to add to our family and we started trying to conceive! This was also the month that we potty trained Joshua.

August: Cameron started school the third week of August. It was so fun taking him to get his school clothes and supplies. We have loved his teacher from the get go and I am so very proud of the student that he is. Joshua turned 2! It was so hard to believe that my little baby was a big 2 year old!

September: We had stormy September and are very thankful that those crazy weather systems didn't effect us too much. Cole worked some crazy hours this month and there were days when Cameron didn't get to see Cole!

October: Cole and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this month. We spent the weekend home with the kiddos and relaxed. We got Cameron's first report card and learned that he is doing spectacular at school and has improved well beyond the norm. We learned that this months cycle was THE cycle and that we would be welcoming a new addition to our family at the beginning of July!

November: Cameron turned 6 this month. We had a low key family day for his birthday and took cookies to his classroom to celebrate there too. My nausea kicked in almost instantly so I didn't do too much. Cole's work slowed down which was handy and Josh talks a mile a minute most days! Thanksgiving was rough as we missed family but we made the most of it and spent the day together. I finished all of our Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving!

December: Cameron started counting down the days till Christmas December 1st! Joshua learned about Santa and Baby Jesus' birth. I spent all month nauseas and can no longer lay claim to the fact that I don't throw up while pregnant! We saw our little on on his/her first ultrasound at 10.5 weeks. Cole took two weeks off and is spending winter break home with us. We had a fantastic Christmas and the boys received everything on their wish lists and then some.

I personally and looking forward to the new year, my growing belly and all the fun we have planned with our family. I can't wait till our little one arrives so that the boys can meet him/her. I am so grateful for all of the trials and sacrifices we've faced this last year and for how far we've come and our ability to over come what is thrown our way. I couldn't be more proud of my family and the different ways we've each grown. I'm excited to see what is in store for us this next year.

Happy New Year!

Thankful's, thoughts, and notes

The last few weeks have been tough. Aside from not feeling well, the brakes in our family car needed to be replaced, stranding the boys and I at home for a full week. We were hit with a nasty snow storm earlier this week covering our town in a foot of snow in a matter of hours. I'm still not feeling great and am waiting for this dang morning sickness to go away! I've been counting my blessing extra this weekend and savoring the time I have with my little ones. Part of me feels selfish snuggling my guys extra when I know there a so many moms and dads missing their kiddos this weekend! 

Thankful's, thoughts, and notes:

*My kiddos are my light, sometimes I yell, sometimes I get frustrated but at the end of the day I don't know what I'd do without them.

*I almost picked Cameron up from school Friday morning after seeing the news....

*I hate snow...when I have to drive in it! I hate it even more when it doesn't go away and it makes for icy roads for weeks and months till it starts to warm up!

* Sleep deprivation and pregnancy don't mix...I am a mess! Not patients, lots of yelling---and crying and then laughing---no energy! Ugggg!

*My husband is super handy and fixed our brakes. So nice to have a handy husband.

*I have some great friends...one of them stepped up and took Cameron to and from school for a whole week for me! She's awesome and Cameron loves her kids so it was extra special for him!

*Holidays are rough without family. 

*I am extra grateful for the gospel this week and my knowledge and testimony of eternal families. I saw a post by a friends asking where God is....He's there comforting those families...He's there comforting that community and the nation. He can't control the things taht happen as we all have the ability to make choices...but He is there to help us pick up the pieces if we allow Him in.

*I will continue to be naive and believe that things like the shootings this week can't/won't happen here. I know it's naive thinking...I know in my gut that it can...BUT it's the only way I can send my children out of my home. 

Just a few of the things that have crossed my mind this evening! 

Shrimp Scampi and Pasta--Recipe

I have been craving citrus flavors and carbs. I think the carbs help to settle my tummy a bit although the only time my tummy is truly settled is when I am a sleep and that 30 second period when I first open my eyes in the morning. When trying to figure out what to make for dinner tonight I remember I had some frozen shrimp in my freezer. I went to Pinterest and did a quick search for shrimp scampi. I have a recipe I love but didn't have any Parmesan cheese or cream so I needed something a little different. I found two easy-ish recipes (a key for a tired pregnant momma with two kiddos under foot) and thought I would try to combine them. I don't have any pictures...but here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi and Pasta!

recipe adapted from Taste of Home

and Parents

Shrimp Scampi

12 oz Medium Shrimp (peeled and cleaned)

1 stick butter (1/2 c)

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tbls lemon juice

2 tbls bread crumbs

Pasta and Sauce

1 lb pasta (we used spaghetti but would be great with angel hair or linguine too)

3 tbls + 1 tbls butter, divided

1/2 of an onion peeled and diced

3 tbls flour

2 cups chicken broth 

4 oz cream cheese

1 tbls lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Start the water for your pasta. Melt the stick of butter and pour into a 9x13 pan. Place shrimp in pan and add garlic and juice, stir to combine. Add bread crumbs. When water for pasta is boiling place pan of shrimp in oven and then add the pasta to water. (I will add a bit of oil and salt to my pasta at this time) Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a sauce pan and add the onion. Cook until softened, 1-2 minutes. Add 3 tbls of butter to the onions and stir in flour. Once butter and flour are combined whisk in the chicken broth. Continue to stir sauce until it comes to a slight boil and begins to thicken. Add cream cheese, stir till combined and melted. Add lemon juice. Once pasta has reached it's desired tenderness, drain water reserving 1/2 cup. Pour sauce over pasta and stir to combine. Add pasta water as desired (I used the full 1/2 cup). Remove shrimp from oven (shrimp should be pink and no longer translucent). Serve shrimp over pasta. 

 

This fed our family of four with plenty of pasta left over for tomorrow lunch for all of us! 

Honestly, I prefer my favorite shrimp scampi over this one but it was very good and satisfied my craving! If you give it a try let me know what you think. 

Oh, you'll notice I didn't add any salt while cooking except for the salt I added to my pasta water. I am watching my salt intact during pregnancy. You will need to salt and pepper if that is your thing...we all ended up passing the salt and pepper shakers around the table at least once ;)

Hello, December!

I love this time of year! The lights on the Christmas tree make me so happy!

We had a great Thanksgiving. Being away from family is always hard but I love creating my own traditions and not feeling the pull from everyone. In years past we have tried to see everyone on a holiday...we'd do dinner one place and dessert at another and go visit someone else. It's exhausting. It was so nice to sit and relax with my little family.

Here's a quick wrap up of fall...

Cameron received his first report card. I am so happy and pleased with how well he's doing. Kindergarten report cards are boring and pointless...as long as you are doing as you are supposed to and progressing you get a 3! We did however receive a print out of his benchmark (the first week of school each child was evaluated and then again the week of report cards). The improvement was crazy! I can't remember exact number and I'm too tired to pull it out of the filing cabinet but they were something along the lines of recognizing 13 of 52 letters (uppercase and lowercase) during the first week of school and recognizing 36/52 letters with a goal of recognizing 30/56 by the end of the first quarter. His benchmarks for sound recognition as well as number recognition were just as impressive. Cameron's teacher has been out due to a family emergency so we've had a temporary sub for a couple of months now...We both LOVE her, but do to this we didn't have the opportunity to have a conference with his teacher. I did have the chance to talk with the sub for a few minutes and she had nothing but great things to say. To say I am proud would give you the wrong impression...as long as my children are happy and doing their best I am happy....What I am is blessed. I was truly frightened that moving Cameron from family was a mistake and that he would never settle in. I was scared that this would scar him for life. I feel as if I am being shown that this wasn't detrimental and that we did make the right choice by placing him in public school. Cameron is a special little spirit just as every child is. I've said from day one that he is my easy kid!

And then theirs Joshua! Mr J has started talking, He talks and talks and talks. I swear he says five new words a day and puts different words into sentences all day long! His little brain is working overtime. The crazy kid is regressing in the potty trained department. We are working on that. He stopped sleeping a few weeks ago but I think we've fixed that. There was a couple of weeks where I was convinced that there was something wrong with him but now I believe the flip was switched for terrible twos and he was working double time to make my life heck...things have gotten much better on that front too! He'll tell anyone who listens that there's a baby in his belly...not mommy's! He is still the best eater in the house and I swear he's grown two inches in two months. We've finally out grown out 12 month clothes and have had to move on to 18 month/24 month and 2Ts as the 12 month are too short. My bet is if there was a way to lengthen them he could have stayed in the 12 month pants for another 6 months or so...I am constantly rolling up the waist band on his 18/24 month clothes to keep them on his waist!

Cole's work schedule has finally slowed down. Thank goodness. He's been so supportive while I've been resting and avoiding anything that makes me sick. Super Husband goes to Cole for the month of November!

As for me, I am 9 weeks and 2 days pregnant. I see the doctor in just over a week and I am so excited to hear this little ones heartbeat. I'm still super nauseated and the fatigue set in over Thanksgiving. I also feel "foggy" quite often and I believe pregnancy brain gets worse with each one!

Enjoy the holidays and I will update as I can!

Hugs and Love to all!

Weeks, symptoms, up-to-date-ness

First things first...I am 7 wks 5 days! Yes, we were trying. I took us 4 cycles to conceive. For those of you who don't know I have Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS. My cycles are typical long, heavy and pretty painful. Luckily, my body responds well to hormonal birth control and I believe we had an easy time conceiving thanks to the mirena I had for almost two years which was removed in July. Because I was tracking my cycles I know exactly when I ovulated (Happy Anniversary to me ;)) and I got my positive pregnancy test on Friday October 26th exactly 30 days after my last period!

I was feeling a bit nauseas a few days before my positive test... honestly that was the only symptom I had. A couple of days after my positive my boobs started hurting! I started bloating almost immediately and as of today my jeans won't button. I am more comfortable in stretchy yoga pants, sweats and if I have to leave the house maternity jeans! My skin seems super sensitive so anything too tight on my belly hurt and irritates it. The morning sickness has been in full throttle for 2 weeks now! I haven't vomited but I am always sick to my stomach and I have spent several mornings gagging and dry heaving before breakfast. my morning sickness it much worse with this pregnancy than with my two previous pregnancies. I always forget how sore your breasts get but I'm quickly reminded daily each time a child hugs me or I brush up against something.

I won't have my first OB appt till December 11th with an ultrasound to follow on the 12th. I will 10 weeks and 5/6days. I am hopeful that I will like this OB. I've heard great things about him with a couple of mixed reviews thrown in too.

Anything else?

As for the rest of the family....

We are looking forward to a very long weekend. Cole has Wednesday thru Sunday off!!! YAY!

Cameron has a classroom play tomorrow...I am going to try to get a video but a the very least I will have pictures to share.

Josh has started talking like a champ. He's always talked more than Cameron did at this age but it seems like everyday he has several new words.

I will be back soon!

Guess What!?!?!?!?!?

We are expecting.....

Due July 4, 2013!

Just for the record pregnancies don't get easier the more you have. In my experience they get just a little harder.

Never the less, we are so excited to welcome this next little one into our family.

Happy 6th Birthday, Big Guy!

 It's crazy to me that my oldest child is 6 today! I have such mixed feelings about this birthday....I don't want him to get any older, yet I have to much fun watching him grow. Here's a few pictures..kind of like a then/now!

Cameron 11/2/2006

May 2012

May 2012

July 2012

May 2012

First Day of Kindergarten
Aug. 23rd, 2012

October 28, 2012

August 31st, 2012

October 2012

Happy Birthday!

Cameron, I want you to know that the sky is the limit. You are so incredibly smart and talented. I know that you will grow to do amazing things. A few months ago you told me you wanted to be an architect and then just a couple weeks ago you decided you were going to be a vet. Cameron, you can be whatever you want to be as long as you are happy! Even though you are growing you will always be my baby. I am blessed each and every day by you and the things you make me learn and the love that you offer. I am so proud of you. You are such a great big brother and you are doing so great in school. I want you to now that you are a leader and each time you make a good choice your classmates and friends see that. By being a good example you are helping your friends to make good choices. I love that you want to learn and that you enjoy reading and writing. I wish we lived closer to your Grandmas and Papas so they could see how you are developing. I know that living in Alaska is hard for you sometimes because you miss your friends (cousins) but we have grown closer as a family and that is blessing you. Cameron you are such an amazing little man. I love our morning cuddles and listening to you read after school. I am so glad I get to spend time in your classroom with you...it gives me a chance to see how you interact with your friends and teacher...you have settled into school so well. I hope that you will always be able to see the beauty all around us. You are so observant...I would hate for you to miss any of it. Thank You, Cameron, for trying your very best and for being so helpful. I hope that your 6th birthday is memorable and that you see how much Daddy and I love you. 

Love, Mommy!