A Few {Sweet} Pictures

My little guy sure has made it hard for his mommy to take pictures of him lately. Noah is one busy little boy. I'm telling you, he is all. over. the. house. And he does not have time for pictures. But I have my ways {or I got lucky}, and got a few sweet pictures of him today.

And a sweet one of Noah and his Mimi reading a book together. My mom came down for a few days to visit, but she ended up staying almost a week because of bad weather in Oklahoma. We loved having her here to visit, and we were sad to see her go today. But we are thankful for the time we got to spend with her.

Well, I better go. Josh & I are going to snuggle up in bed and watch a movie.

Goodnight!

Superbowl

I'll be the first to admit I enjoy Super Bowl Sunday for two reasons: the food and the funny commercials. I'm just not a big fan of football, or any sport for that matter. I seriously don't know how Josh and I ended up together {maybe opposites attract theory??} because Josh is a huge, I mean huge sports guy. Josh doesn't go a day without listening, watching, or reading something on the topic of sports. Maybe I should explain exactly what I mean. Anytime I get in the car after Josh has driven, the radio station is always on a sports talk radio station. He has a full page on his iPhone dedicated to just sports apps. See where this is going? The magazine rack in his bathroom is overflowing with Sports Illustrated magazines. If Josh has the television on you can bet he's watching SportsCenter. And he's always saying something about Bill Simmons {some guy on espn.com} this and that. I think I hear that name at least once a day. His toilet book {don't mean to be crude} is called The Book of Basketball for crying out loud. There have been times when I thought he was gonna sit on the toilet all day and finish that 700 page book. I'm not kidding, it's literally 700 pages. So there you have it. My husband is big into sports.

With that being said, you can imagine how ready he is for Super Bowl Sunday to be here, as I'm sure many of you are. Whether you are hosting a Super Bowl Party or attending one this year it's time to start thinking of what you are going to prepare for the big event. I saw a dessert idea the other day perfect for a Super Bowl Party. So of course I just had to share it with you.

Cute, huh? I am thinking about trying them out myself. They don't look too hard to make. Wanna make them? Click here.

Well, off to make dinner! Have a wonderful evening, and stay warm!

Noah's Breakfast

Noah helped himself {and Einstein, of course} to some breakfast this morning.

What a nutritious breakfast!

All Things Pretty

1. KitchenAid Mixer, 2. Water Carafe, 3. Dainty Flower Clip, 4. Flower Bag, 5. Jewelry Display Frames,

6. Dslr Pink Minky Camera Strap, 7. Pretty Ditty Aprons, 8. Luggage Tags, 9. Fetching Dog Tags

I've Got Your Back, Einstein.

Einstein is a bottomless pit. A porker. A glutton for food. I think you get my point. Oh yes, this pug can put it away. Everyday Einstein wanders around {wearing an "I'm starrrving" expression on his face} hopelessly in search for food or any kind of scrap that we might have dropped. It's pitiful, and often it's very annoying. But Noah understands Einstein. He knows the way to a pug's heart is through his stomach. Today Noah did the sweetest thing for Einstein; it's as if he said, "Don't worry Einstein, I know you're hungry, and I've got your back."



I just love it. How sweet is that video?! Brings a smile to my face every time I watch it.

We Did It!

Josh & I booked our trip to Mexico, and I could not be more be more excited!

We haven't been on a long trip alone together since our honeymoon {when the above picture was taken}. Um yeah, way overdue!!! Beach here we come!

Too bad November is far, far away.

Einstein

Let's Talk Asian Grilled Chicken

Tonight for dinner we had Asian Grilled Chicken, and I thought I'd share this {easy!} fabulous new recipe with you. So brace yourself. This chicken is gonna blow your socks off. It is a low fat, low point {3.3 points-- if you are doing weight watchers}, very tasty chicken recipe.

So let's get started, shall we?

The great thing about this recipe is that it doesn't require many ingredients. I try to steer clear of complicated recipes {you know, the ones that have a whole page of ingredients}. I prefer the recipes that have 8 or 9 ingredients max, so when I found this recipe and was able to count the ingredients on my fingers, I decided to try it out. And I'm so glad I did. It is yummmmy! Ok enough talking. Let's get down to business.

This is what you need:

- 6 thin boneless skinless chicken breasts (3 oz each)

And for the marinade:

- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds {Neighborhood Walmart didn't have these... so sad}

- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 green onions, minced
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 tsp sesame oil

Ok. So now that we have our chicken and ingredients for the marinade, let's begin.

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Then pour the mixture over the chicken, turn the pieces to coat evenly, and cover and place in refrigerator a minimum of three hours, but preferably overnight.

It's always nice to have a buddy in the kitchen with you while you're cooking to keep you company. Einstein was my buddy today, and you can tell he had one thing on his mind: chicken.

Next {we're almost done by the way}...

Preheat your grill to high. Grill one side of the chicken first until well browned {about five minutes}, then turn and cook the other side for about three more minutes. Then transfer the cooked chicken to a plate.

Voila!

And, ooh, wouldn't some brown rice & asparagus go wonderfully with the chicken. Yummy!

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. I will definitely be adding it to my recipe book.

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On a more serious note, I wanted to ask for your prayers for Josh's grandmother, Nanny. She is in the hospital recovering from a recent back surgery. The latest update was that she was able to come off of the ventilator early this evening, so that is a praise in itself! Please pray for healing and strength as she recovers from her surgery. Thanks so much!

Here is a precious picture of Nanny holding Noah when he was 3 weeks old. I can't believe Noah was ever that small!

Have a fabulous evening! Goodnight.

Sick of Being Sick

Yep, my two boys are sick.
Noah has been battling a cold {with snot galore} since Saturday,
and a stomach virus hit Josh really hard today.
My poor, poor family.
It's just no fun being sick.

Noah couldn't get enough of Daddy's sprite today.
I guess it made his tummy feel better too.

Going back for more... and more... and more. It was so funny.

You nasty bug-- go away! You are not welcome in our home.

Not me! Monday

So I thought tonight, since I am fresh out of things to blog about {writer block, perhaps?) I would join Not me! Monday created by MckMama to admit some of my imperfections. I must be desperate to post something! Ha.

Let's start with the first born: Einstein. I did not spank Einstein and put him in our room for a "time out" tonight {he's a dog-- that would just be crazy} since he was barking non-stop and driving me up the wall.

I most certainly did not warm up a Lean Cuisine for Noah to eat for dinner because I had a hungry little boy pulling at my pant leg crying. Nope. There's no way I did that.

I did not obsessively watch four episodes of Grey's Anatomy in bed with Josh last night. No, not me! I would never waste that much of my time on a television show.

I would never tell Noah to pick up his banana {that had been thrown on the dirty ground multiple times} and eat it. No, definitely not this germaphobe.

Lastly, I did not decide {after I laid Noah on the changing table and realized there was not a diaper in sight} to let Noah run around the house naked after his bath tonight. Definitely not this momma. I would never do that, especially since I knew our back porch door was wide open. I most certainly did not have a bare-bunned toddler running up and down the porch exposing himself to the world. No, not me!

Well, that was therapeutic! I might have to do this more often. What do you need to get off your chest? Please do share!

Haiti

My heart has been heavy for Haiti today. Thoughts of the devastation, the loss of life, the homes turned to ruble, the lack of resources, the chaos & fear that overwhelms the nation of Haiti have unceasingly filled my mind. I cannot stop thinking of the people, and often find myself overwhelmed with sadness.

While looking through images of the devastation on msn.com I came across a picture that made my heart sink: a heartbroken, tearful father holding his daughter who died in the earthquake.

As Noah and I played in his room together today, I couldn't get this image out of my mind. All I wanted to do was hold Noah, to hear him laugh, see him smile, smell him, kiss him -- tell him how much I love him. I do those things everyday, but I'm guilty of getting so wrapped up in this and that, and I often forget to just stop and embrace the moments I have with Noah. With Josh. With my family. To embrace each smile, each kiss, each hug. To cherish the time we have together. What about you? It's definitely something to consider.

If you would like to help with the relief efforts going on in Haiti, please consider making a one-time donation to Compassion’s Disaster Relief Fund. You can donate as little or as much as you’d like; it only takes one look at the photographs coming out of Haiti to know that the needs are great.

Let us remember to pray for the people of Haiti. I thank God that in the midst of chaos we can put our hope in Him.

Loss of Inventory

Remember the post about Noah's sporting goods store? If not, click here.



Well this is what happens when he loses some of his inventory, and if I were you, I'd steer clear of this little dude.

Let me tell you what happened.

Today was a beautiful, beautiful day, so I decided to open up the door to the back porch so Noah and Einstein {well mostly Noah because Einstein prefers sitting in the house} could enjoy the weather and play.

I was outside on the porch playing with Noah for a while, and then I decided to grab my camera to take a few pictures. All of the sudden I heard Noah screaming at the top of his lungs; he was angry! I ran out expecting to see that he had tripped and fallen to the ground, but no. He was just standing there throwing a big ol' tantrum. I looked at his empty hands and knew exactly what he was so mad about. I glanced over the balcony to the ground below, and there sat two balls.

Oh little No, we've talked about this again & again. One of these days you'll learn.



Oh, by the way. What do you think about Noah's shirt? Isn't it cute? His daddy was so proud when I brought the shirt home one afternoon. Josh loves Afros, and I have no idea why. I personally think they are ugly & unattractive. However, I did think the shirt was just too cute, so I had to get it for Noah {and his daddy}.

Christmas in the Panhandle

We were so blessed to be able to spend Christmas with both of our families this year. It took a little extra planning {and traveling} to work it all out, but we wouldn't have it any other way! We joked though that if anyone wants to see us next year, they are coming to Fort Worth! Haha.

Our Christmas in Amarillo with the Bonjours was wonderful; we loved every minute we were able to spend with Papa, Grammy, Joseph, and Quentin.

The picture below is of our Christmas dinner, and it was amazing! I got to spend the afternoon in the kitchen with Gay Lynn to help out and to learn a few of her secrets. I learned a lot, but I'm sure it will take a lot of trial and error for me to perfect it like Gay Lynn has.



Quentin ready to dig in!



Darrell's barbecue baked beans are legendary. Once, he made them for a family whose grandmother had just passed away; when the family tasted the beans, one of the family members {a sweet old black woman} went up to Darrell and said, "Those beans are pretty good for a white boy!" And she wasn't lying. They. are. so. good! Our Christmas dinner wouldn't have been complete without them. Noah was a big fan of the beans too. He kept wanting Papa to feed them to him.



Quentin called Josh a couple of days before Christmas asking him what we got him, and without hesitation {because Josh loves to pick on him}, he told him, "a mouse."

Side note: Quentin got a laptop for Christmas from his parents, so we thought a wireless mouse would be the perfect gift to go along with his computer.

So anyway, Quentin thinks Josh is talking about a live mouse, and Quentin quickly tells Josh that he does not want it. And Josh responds, "Well, it's too late Quentin. We already bought it." And no, we hadn't really bought it, but you can bet once we got to Amarillo there was a little mouse {excuse me, rat} purchased.

Quentin had three gifts from us {he just didn't know it}. Here he is opening up gift #1. And it was so funny when he pulled out the cage. He just held it in front of his face and stared at it repeatedly saying, "No you didn't."



Um yes, yes they did. Josh, Darrell, and Noah made a quick trip to Petco while Gay Lynn and I were cooking dinner. Quentin got a lovely white rat with pink eyes.



"Ok, Quentin, here is your real gift from us." Here he is opening up gift #2.

Side note: Before Josh and Darrell made plans to buy a rat, Josh and I were shopping at Target one evening and we came across this little beauty. Let's just say we know how to push Quentin's buttons, and we knew this would do the trick.



Gift #3: a wireless mouse. We told you we got you a mouse!



Noah opening up his stocking. He got a lot of fun things, but his favorite...



...were the apples & oranges. Of course they would be, they are round like balls!



Noah and his Grammy snuggling while we open up presents.



Noah loved playing with the Zany Zoo learning center toy he got from Papa & Grammy. I'm not lying, this toy can entertain little Noah for hours. He loves playing with it.



Josh & his new grill he got from his parents for Christmas! Noah had a pretty excited Daddy.

Noah eating lunch after he got his first haircut. He looks so grown up {sad face}!

It's kind of hard to see the chair, but Noah found a chair just his size. It was almost exactly like the one my mom had in Oklahoma.

Papa tickling Noah. They were having so much fun.

Noah loves his Uncle Joseph {and the beard}. I mean what kid wouldn't love a beard like that? One time when Noah was just learning to grab things, he grabbed Joseph's beard and ended up with a handful of beard hairs. Ouch!

Happy little Noah!

I adore this picture of Noah & Papa. So so sweet!

This one is one of my favorites too.

I love Noah's expression in this one. Haha. This picture would be perfect for a "Name that Photo" contest.



Noah trying to take Daddy's hat off. It is so funny how the little things make Noah laugh. He is a lot like his Momma in that way.



Noah riding the horse {Papa's leg}. Darrell sang a cute little tune as he bounced Noah up and down, and once he started, there was no stopping. Noah loved it. He wanted to do it again and again.



We had a wonderful time. Thank you Darrell & Gay Lynn for everything!