Merry Christmas!

Had an exciting week of Christmas celebrations! So thankful for all the time we got to spend with everyone!

Due to all the excitement/traveling all week long, we have made the tradition of staying at home in our PJ's on Christmas! And what a great day it was!

Baby girl slept til 11!!! Opened her presents, ate, and watched a little TV snuggled in her "bed".




And then it was back to bed for her! And she napped til 6:30!!! (and well so did Mommy). We then had amazing steak salad dinner!


And my child actually ate all her steak, cucumbers, egg, and applesauce! I offered her a Christmas cookie for dessert and she turned it down?!?!? (pretty much the only thing we don't have in common, cause I ate 1/2 the cookie jar for dessert, but definitely justifies the parenting choices that I made when we started solids forever ago).

We had a great Christmas week! We are so blessed and so thankful for the relaxing day with my little family!

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"God Gave Us Christmas"

Bought the book God Gave Us Christmas by: Lisa Tawn Bergren on Amazon.com a few months ago and it somehow got buried in the sea of Christmas stuff in our office.

As I was wrapping the final Christmas presents this morning, with the help of a cute little 2 year old, I found the book and we stopped and read it. WHAT AN AWESOME BOOK! We have been very wrapped up in Santa, and Santa's bringing gifts,  and lets name his reindeer, etc.  It was so cute to read this book and have her ask me, "Mommy, where is God?"  (the bears go looking for God in the story).  Also a great reminder for Mommy of what Christmas is really about.  Favorite quote from the book that is perfect for Christmas Eve:
"'Santa Claus reminds us about many good things like generosity and care.  But it is God and Jesus that we celebrate most come Christmas.  We always want to thank God for giving us Christmas.'"

Also discovered as I ordered this book that Lisa Tawn Bergren has written many similar books, the next one I plan on ordering is "God Gave Us Two" :) :) 

Snakes, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails

You guessed it! It's a boy! We had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday and learned that we have a healthy baby boy on the way! Very excited! Although, Alissa still insists she's having a baby sister!!!

So glad that we decided to have the ultrasound.  We aren't great with surprises, but I also feel such a different connection with the baby and being a little bit of a "planner" I feel that it calms me down a little being able to prepare for Baby #2.  As I plan things like nursery decor, double strollers, and baby carriers, my husband is already planning his 1st motorcycle trip with his baby boy! :)

"C" is for Cookie!

The past two days have been filled with relaxation and COOKIES!

Spent Sunday night making some chocolate chippers(as we call them) with my little family! Babygirl loved helping and kept asking to help me more! The hubby was even a participant (and managed to drop the mixer and 1/2 the batter on the floor)!


But either way we had fun making them, and even more fun eating them!









Today we drove to my Mom's for our annual cookie baking with friends! For as long as I can remember, I've been baking cookies with my 2nd family at Christmas! Unfortunately this year one of our helpers couldn't be there :( We found a temporary replacement...




She took her job very seriously, and sat for an hour helping unwrap Hershey kisses, without eating or even asking to eat a single Hershey kiss. (she did however eat quite a few cookies!)

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Christmas in Disney

Just got home from our amazing vacation in Orlando! Gave us a nice little break right before Christmas, and brought us home in time to stress for the next 9 days about the million things that need to be done!

But we had a fabulous time with family, friends, and Minnie Mouse!

Breakfast with the Characters at the Beach Club Resort

And we can't forget her absolute favorite part....meeting Snow White (wish we would have had more than 1 day at the parks so we could have found all the princesses)

So thankful for the time I got to spend with my family for the holiday! With baby #2 on the way, I am not sure when we will get back down there.  And Alissa had an absolute blast with her cousins!

Animal Kingdom Lodge, where we spent 2 nights!

Love all the great memories with my family!

Christmas in Disney, December 2008 (with Alissa in my belly)

Christmas in Disney, December 2011 (with baby #2 in my belly)

Paper Chain Christmas Tree craft

Crafts don't happen much at our house, at least planned/organized ones. So decided to plan a "cute" Christmas craft. We had watched Bubble Guppies for the first time on Nick Jr. and loved it, so when I found this craft on their website, I decided it would be fun to try. I am also pretty much artistically challenged and it seemed like it was on my level! :)

She had fun with it, but there weren't to many steps that she could really do on her own. She ended up putting the glue on the rings...



She also helped tape all the Bubble Guppy ornaments on the tree...




We had fun, and we now have a cute little ornament for our craft closet!




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Recipe of the Week: Alphabet Pasta Tomato Soup

Thought the Eden Organic Vegetable Alphabets looked fun and yummy, so we decided to try them out.  I used the recipe on the back of the box to make this tomato soup.  You can also find the recipe here.  Here is the slightly modified to fit my fridge/pantry version of the soup!

Alphabet Pasta Tomato Soup


1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup carrots, diced

1/3 cup celery, diced

1 1/2  vegetable broth

2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes 

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Sea Salt, or to taste

1/2 cup Eden Organic Vegetable Alphabets

Directions:
1. Cook the pasta according the package, rinse, drain, set aside.
2. Heat the oil in medium soup pot.  Saute the onions and garlic for 2 minutes.
3. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Add the basil, oregano, black pepper, sea salt, and tomatoes. Mix, cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
5. Puree 1/2 of the tomato/vegetable mixture and pour back into soup pot.
6. Mix in the pasta and simmer 1 to 2 minutes until pasta is warm.  

Soup was very yummy, unfortunately, I'm not really a tomato based soup fan, and found out neither is my toddler.  But my husband loved it.  Now just have to send him to work everyday this week with his container of alphabet soup so we don't waste it all! :) This recipe makes a lot of soup so I will probably freeze some! Would go great with a grilled cheese sandwich! 

Also,  The recipe with the noodles also calls for soy, which I didn't add. That would probably add a little bit creamier texture to the soup. 

"Giantly" disappointed

We grocery shop at Giant in Exeter regularly, mostly because they were the closest grocery store (besides Wal-mart) that I could find when we moved here.  So since then we continue to shop there.  They have a nice organic section, and produce is USUALLY pretty good.  The store is new, large, and always clean! And I usually earn a ridiculous amount of gas rewards points each month.

There is also a Giant in Lionville, next to our My Gym class.  So this week instead of driving 30 minutes home from My Gym and another 20 minutes to a different Giant, I decided to stop at the Giant in Lionville to grab a few produce items and somethings for dinner.  I can honestly say almost every produce item I picked up to buy was not fresh.  The lettuce was brown, strawberries just about on their last day, and blueberries moldy.  The store is also so much smaller than the Giant we normally shop at, they didn't have a few of the items I was looking for.  One thing they did have going for them was their customer service was great at checkout.

But overall I left very disappointed....Anyone have suggestions for a great grocery shopping experience where I can get everything in one place??

Leftovers anyone??

Oh wait, there aren't any!!! So apparently dinner was pretty good tonight, and both the hubby and I were definitely looking for leftovers! Next time I will remember to double the recipe!

Broccoli Chicken Divan

1 lb. chopped fresh broccoli

1 1/2 cups cubed, cooked chicken breast

1 can condensed cream of celery soup

1/3 cup milk

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon melted butter

2 tablespoons dried bread crumbs 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2. Steam broccoli for 5 minutes or until tender

3. Place cooked broccoli in a 9 inch pie plate.  Top with the chicken.  In a bowl, mix the soup and milk, and pour over the chicken.  Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.  Mix the melted butter with the bread crumbs, and sprinkle over the cheese.  

4.  Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly brown.  

Guess it was good! 

Here is a link to the recipe I modified slightly.  I also added some spices to the chicken and soup! Broccoli Chicken Divan

3 Day Sale at Pottery Barn Kids!

Best Sellers Weekend Sale: Save 20% on the Kendall Furniture Collection at Pottery Barn Kids! 3 Days ONLY!

• Dressers
• Nightstands
• Beds
• Bunkbeds
• Crib 
• And more....

We just so happen to be looking to furnish another Nursery! The crib is not convertible to a bed which is the only downfall for us! But if your looking to upgrade to a full or twin bed, or just need a new bedroom set, this set looks nice! 

Check it out at on their Website!

Disney On Ice: Dare to Dream VALPAK SPECIAL!!!

Disney on Ice: Dare to Dream at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly.  Show dates are Dec 22-Jan 1.  (Coupon is only valid on certain tickets, and only on shows from dec 26th-dec 30th, and only for a limited time)

Get tickets for $15, EVEN LOWER LEVEL!!! Use the code: VALPAK before picking your tickets!

Comcast  click on this link to purchase tickets!

Disney on Ice click here to find out more info about the show!

Found this ValPak coupon in the mail this month! Decided these tickets would make a great Xmas gift! Hope she enjoys it!

Recipe of the week: Chicken Noodle Soup

My husband's fire company had a Chicken BBQ during the snowstorm Halloween weekend.  We had purchased tickets for friends and family who ended up not making it to the BBQ, so we ended up with ALOT of extra chicken.  Didn't want it to go to waste as we are not great at eating leftovers, so I decided to make some chicken noodle soup, thankfully we have a gas stove! Here is the recipe that I used.

Ingredients: 

1 tbls. butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

4 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth

1 can vegetable broth

1 lb. chopped cooked chicken breast

2 cups coooked noodles (egg noodles recommended, but I didn't have those) 

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup cut green beans
1 baked potato (would have used more if I had them)

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

The result of cutting apart the chicken!

Directions:

1. In large pot over medium heat, melt butter.  Cook onion, green beans, and carrots until tender, 5 minutes.  

2.Pour in chicken and vegetable broths and stir in chicken, noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.  

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving.  

I used slightly more of all ingredients to make a larger batch of soup because I had ALOT of chicken.  Turned out great, husband loved it! The chicken had a smoked flavor to it from the BBQ which I am not a fan of, so I didn't love it as much.  But it was a great way to use up leftovers from the fridge! Here is a link to the recipe that I used, but modified slightly.  

14 weeks and counting!

Well, we've arrived at the 2nd trimester! It's been a long few weeks of exhaustion, nausea, and really busy schedules! I'm still wondering how with my last pregnancy, I drove an hour each way to work, taught thirty 10 year olds all day, and still felt great through the whole pregnancy! Now all I have to do is chase after a 2 year old and find myself nodding off during storytime before her nap!

I spent a few weeks feeling nauseous and not being able to eat, and then feeling nauseous because I didn't eat anything! But now at 14 weeks, I am starting to feel a little better, eating more, and have a little more energy.

However, week 13 also brought a whole new challenge with it! I have been having some severe hip pain to the point where I can't stand, walk, or roll over. We see the chiropractor regularly and it has been helpful with sciatica, but not so much with the hip pain. He helps me with muscle stretches and I have been doing them on my own at home. My nighttime routine now includes ice on my hip and lots of stretches. I just ordered a lumbar support belt which hopefully might bring some relief. Was not expecting this kind of pain this early in the pregnancy. Anyone have this problem and have any advice, I am up for trying anything???

With that said I am also "growing" much quicker than I did with my first pregnancy, so that might have something to do with it! Here is a belly comparison!

14 weeks pregnant, pregnancy 2,  11/9/2011

16 weeks pregnant, pregnancy 1, 3/23/2009

A day out in Chester County!

My girlfriend was kind enough to share some great kids activities in Chester County with me today! Here is a little bit of info if your looking for free, fun, fall entertainment in the area!

We started at Springton Manor Farm in Glenmoore.  They didn't have to many animals out because their Fall season ended on October 28th, but we were still able to see sheep, goats, horses, and cows up close! It is a beautiful park and was a beautiful day! Many families were taking advantage of the great fall foliage and getting some photos done!














We then made our way into Downingtown to play at Kerr Park. What a great park for all ages! It was a day off of school for most kids so it was pretty packed, but the kids had a good time and got out lots of energy!

Since I also learned that THERE IS A Wegman's in Downingtown, I of course had to stop there on my way home and pick up so amazing food! Oh how I wish we lived closer!!!! Wegman's, I miss you!

And to top off the day, baby girl fell asleep in the car, and is still sleeping so Mommy has some time to sit down and rest her feet for a few minutes! Woo hoo!

My BFF gets married!

My best friend got married on Saturday in a beautiful ceremony and reception at her parents house! I was honored to be her matron of honor and my baby girl was so excited to be a flower girl! Had such a blast at the wedding and so happy for the newlyweds!

Daddy and the cute little flower girl

My little family! 

My gorgeous BFF and her Daddy

Check out Michael Cali's Blog  for more amazing photos of their wedding day!!!

It's Electric!

And we finally have it at our house!!!!! Sorry for the hiatus in blogging! We have been without power for 8 days! We finally got power back Saturday night and I am so so thankful!  We are so lucky that we had a generator so we were able to save all the food in BOTH our freezers and be warm and somewhat comfortable at home for the week.  We did have to splurge on a new generator after we realized the old one stopped running our heat and spent one night in the cold and dark.  There are a few things I have learned from this experience!

1. I could actually live without my microwave and not having it actually made me cook healthier food!
2. We all have way to much clothing! I had already been behind on laundry and we still had plenty of cute outfits to wear for the whole week and beyond! (since I am still catching up)
3.  My child and I will survive without showers everyday! I had been completely on a shower every day schedule, until we couldn't shower at all and realized we survived and were not completely filthy! Might be on the shower every other day schedule from now on!
4. We live on the wrong end of the neighborhood! (The other 1/2 of our street got power back after a day or 2!!!)
5. Our local fire company has many dedicated volunteers that deserve to be recognized more often!

Soooo thankful for the hardworking people who got the power back to us.  I know they spent alot of time away from their families and without sleep to get our power back.  I am still amazed at the devastation caused by the storms in our area.  Thankfully our property only lost a few small trees, but it wasn't the same for all our neighbors! God bless everyone who is working hard to get things back to normal!

Hubby working hard on the clean up

The Big News

We are expecting baby #2 on May 9th! We are so excited/nervous/anxious about having our 2nd baby.  Our first has been such a blessing and I could never have imagined all the joy she has brought to our lives! For a long time we had really planned on only having one little girl, as she was a little bit of a challenge as an infant (or we really just didn't have the knowledge we do now).  So we decided to let God take over and if it was meant to be it would happen. And it did! Very quickly! I can't say it was a surprise because we weren't "not trying", but I definitely didn't expect to get pregnant as quickly as a I did.  But either way we are completely overjoyed and I can't wait to be a mother of 2!!

We had our first appointment with our midwife last week, a different group of midwives than I had with my daughter.  I am hoping for a little bit different birthing experience than I had the first time around. I am hoping, now that I am a little more educated about everything, things will go a little smoother than before.  I have been given the OK so far for a VBAC and I am so completely excited about that.  Not only was I given the OK, but the new midwife did not understand why I would have needed a c-section with my first pregnancy.  So excited! We will see how things progress! But in the meantime, anyone have VBAC experiences or 2nd baby experiences to share! I would love any info! 

Recipe of the week: Cheddar-Baked Chicken

This week's month's recipe (sorry totally slacking on the blogs lately) is yummy chicken! I actually didn't find this recipe online, I decided to use one of the many cookbooks I have that I rarely open! This one is from the Easy Chicken cookbook that I got for $4 at Marshalls and has so many great recipes in it!

I can't really take credit for making this one, my husband actually did most of the cooking for this meal! :) And it was yummy! If you need a quick and easy dinner this would be it!

Cheddar-Baked Chicken

1 tbsp. milk
2 tbsp. mustard
1 cup grated Cheddar
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives (we used the dried version)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 400. Mix together the milk and mustard in a bowl.  In another bowl, combine the cheese,  flour, and chives.

Dip the chicken breasts into the milk mixture and coat evenly.  Then dip them into the cheese mixture to completely coat.  Place on cookie sheet and spoon any spare cheese coating over the top.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.


We were definitely scrounging for dinner options, but we added some sweet potato french fries and some cauliflower!  

Ok, so the picture in the cookbook looks so much better! 

ooopppss, we made to many

Yes, I found the "ooopppss, we made to many" shelves at Wal-Mart.  And yes, I said "shelves".  They actually had 2 full carts full of baked goods that had a use by date of today.  They just happened to have pumpkin cream cheese loaf cake for $1.94! Brought it home, helped myself to a piece, saved one for my hubby, and decided to freeze the rest of them individually so I can pull one out whenever I'm hungry for one! I wish I would have thought of freezing them while I was at Wal-Mart and I would have bought more!

Girl's night

Had a great girl's night with my baby girl today! Shopping at the Philly Outlets and dinner!

Found her shoes for her Flower girl dress! $11 at Stride Rite (gotta love buying white shoes as winter is starting)

Found nothing for me, which is usually how shopping works these days!

But we had a yummy dinner at Ruby Tuesday! Love their white chicken chili and baby girl loves their grilled chicken, mashed potatos, and green beans! Yum! My favorite part is that we both have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!




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