My Sweet 100th Post!

Wow, its hard to believe that I have posted 100 blogs! I love it, it has become one of my favorite things to do. I love being able to keep friends and family up to date on what is going on with Audrey and our family and I also love to read what my friends and family have been up to!

Today I am bringing you all something sweet. It is my little sister Lynn's best friends birthday tomorrow. I wanted to whip her up her favorite snack. Red Velvet cupcakes with vanilla frosting. She is a huge fan of this great cupcake shop in Puyallup called Indulge! They have delicious cupcakes with fun combination's!I decorated them like flowers with a pop of color, I simply died a small amount of frosting in a beautiful shade of blue and piped a star in the middle of each cupcake, then using a round shape tip I piped regular white frosting around the start to make the flower! At Indulge they pipe a hefty serving a frosting on the cupcake so I did my best to recreate their red velvet treat and did the same, one in blue and one in white!

Last Week of Jan Wrap up

TGIF! This week has been so so on how busy I have been but since I finally have found some time I thought I would share this weeks adventures! Monday, Nathan and I took Audrey to the Childrens Museum in Olympia! I have heard a lot of fun things about this place and after some research though it would be perfect for our little Audrey. It was such a fun day, we played in the water and a huge tub on lentil beans, along with sitting in front of a long mirror so Audrey could see herself! Daddy was a big help while I had fun taking pictures!After the museum we headed over to Cabala's so Nathan could pick up some fishing gear and then it was time to go home! Tuesday was pretty lazy, we stayed home most of the day doing chores and playing. We had to drop Nathan off at our friend Joe's house so he could help him with some insulation of insulation in his attic the next day! Wednesday was recylcing day so while my Mom watched Audrey I spent a few hours taking pop cans in to be recycled, we made $30 which was well worth it! Thursday was for running around and errands! Audrey always has a good time in the back seat, she always talks to the passing objects outside of the window which is extremely adorable! Now we are at Friday! While Nathan is at work today I am babysitting my friend Christy's baby Penelope! Her and Audrey always get along and its cute to watch them play together!Today is also date night so I am excited to go out to dinner and spend quality time with Nathan and possibly see a movie!

Paddy Coynes

Tonight for dinner we went to Paddy Coynes Irish Pub for some hearty down home Irish grub!I had the always amazing Guinness Irish Beef Stew with soda bread!

I also had a really great european beer, Stella Artois. Very strong wheat influence, great combination with the stew.

If you live in the Tacoma area I highly recommend this place, friendly, authentic Irish music being played in the corner and when you step into the bathroom their is a recording of an Irish comedian playing. Audrey loved it too, she was fed soda bread, stew and some fries that came with my uncles burger.

Blessed

I have been blessed this last year to have been able to stay at home and enjoy my pregnancy and after Audrey was born, be a stay at home Mom. In this economy it is very hard just getting by without 2 jobs but Nathan and I have made it work and have had a great time doing it. I am beyond lucky to have such an amazing fiance like Nathan who goes to work,works to the bone, comes home and runs errands with Audrey and I and on his days off, trains with Puyallup Tribal Police and Swat team. He sacrifices so much for Audrey and I and that is what makes me fall in love with him over and over again.

Nathan loves his job and it has allowed me to stay at home and watch Audrey grow up. It has let me hold her hand every step of the way when we were in and out of the hospital and doctors office. Nathans schedule allows him to be home around noon everyday and take off days when he needs to, as along as he comes in to make it up that same week. He has never missed a single doctor, WIC or GI appointment. He has been there every step of the way and these days that it is hard to find in a man.

Since starting his new job we have been able to start looking for a new place to live, try and get custody of Nathans 6 year old daughter Hayley who I adore beyond belief and just have a great life! We are blessed that he has a job in the first place but to be able to to train with several of our best friends who are part of the SWAT team is his dream! He is hoping they have an opening soon so he can apply. 2010 is going to be such an amazing year and I cannot wait to see what else God has in store for our family!

My Favorite Chicken

Tonight I made my favorite chicken dish.Swiss stuffed chicken breast lightly breaded with cumin and breadcrumbs! It was amazing and quick, bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes!Audrey partook in enjoying the meal with us.Nathan has SWAT training tomorrow so we tonight we are curled up watching TV!

Cute Photos of Audrey

Since I can never stop gushing over Audrey, here are photos from over the last few days! She had a play date the other day with my friend Christy's baby Penelope so there are some photos from that!

I am a clutz...ouch

I love the weekends, they are by far my favorite days of the week. I have more help with Audrey and I feel like I have more time to do things and get things done! This weekend had some interesting things happen that kept me on my toes for sure. Saturday was grocery shopping day so Friday I had to go through all the coupons to sort them out for the next day. I was on the bed with Audrey and decided to just do it there, which was a good idea until Audrey saw them and wanted to get her hands on them. It was pretty cute, I gave her all the coupons that were expired, this is what she did with them!Pretty much Saturday was for catching up on laundry, sleep and floor time. I save all my errands for the weekdays so we can have the weekends for other fun things. Saturday night for dinner I made Cajun spiced stew beef with Crisco skillet roasted potatoes with rosemary, corn and biscuits. Everything came out wonderful but after i pulled the potatoes out of the oven, i put the skillet on the stove and walked away to take care of Audrey. I came back a few minutes later and accidentally grabbed the handle of the skillet, which had been in the oven for 45 minutes at 425 degrees, burning my left hand. Luckily I didn't have to go to the hospital, I just doctored it up myself with an ice bath, spray, lots of burn cream and i wrapped it up overnight. OuchI was supposed to work out Saturday with Christy but canceled because of my injury, it hurt way to bad to go to the gym so instead i used my yoga ball at home and did some ab work outs that didn't use my hands. Sunday Audrey and I slept in until 1pm, catching up on sleep and played on the floor most of the day, I cuddled with Audrey too which is always nice when she is not being fussy, she lays in my arms and stares at me. After Christy, Nathan and myself hit the gym tonight, Christy brought some of her daughters clothes that she barely wore over for Audrey, they came in a huge bag which included 4 pairs of shoes, insane :) Audrey now has clothes for the next 6 months, thank goodness for babies who are only 11 days older and 5-7 pounds bigger!Here is Audrey and grandma wearing their penguin Pj's for their sleepover! So cute!

Treadmills, Swim classes and Tax Returns

Well these last few days have been very busy. First off, our family joined a gym the other day and couldn't be more excited!It all started when my friend Christy and I could not go for our walk around the park with the babies because it was raining.She suggested we go to her gym where she could bring a friend for free for a week. I jumped on the chance and now I am a member! We have a membership now at Allstar Fitness

I have worked out there twice and I am addicted. On Tuesday Christy and I ran the mile and our time was about 18 1/2 minutes, not too bad since I have not ran the mile since high school! But yesterday Nathan and I went and I got my mile down to 15:55....I'm ELATED! I pushed myself really hard and got an amazing workout. The best part is we can bring Audrey and splash around in the pool with her! We are going to be taking her for a Mommy and Me swim class starting in February!
Other then joining a gym I filed my own taxes this year. I was pretty bummed having not worked more then 2 weeks this year at the amount I get back, but at least it will be a good chunk of money we can put in the bank and sit on.I used Turbotax online this year, the free edition of coarse, and it was SIMPLE. Step by step directions, just click and enter and you're done. I filed in less then 20 minutes. I recommend it!I have not done much baking or cooking lately since I have been so busy and I have been going to the gym but I managed to whip up some brownies the other day after I made the bow tie pasta and meatballs. Speaking of meatballs, Audrey could not stop eating them. Anytime I would have some left overs she would just sit and stare at me forcing me, willingly of coarse, to share. I still have to much any meat up for her since she does not have any teeth yet but we are hoping that in the next few weeks some teeth will come in.

Almost 8 months

I can not believe that Audrey will be 8 months old in 8 days. I was looking at photos from when we first brought her home and she almost does look like the same baby. She was so little at barely 5 pounds and now she is pushing 20 pounds! While we were at home today playing on the floor I watched Audrey wave to herself with both hands. I should have grabbed my camera but I knew she would watch me leave the room and stop what she was doing. It was cute!

Audrey at 3 days oldAudrey on January 6th!

Nathan has been working at his new job for about a week now and it has been great! His boss gave him the day off tomorrow since starting Monday it is going to be very busy week! This means our little family can spend all day together which is good because we have a ton of errands!
Tonight for dinner I made bow tie pasta with four cheese tomato sauce with french onion meatballs! We had to share with Audrey because she LOVED the meatballs, so much that she refused to drink more of her bottle ;)

It was so good we ate it right up as soon as it was done so here is a photo for leftovers!
Audrey is in bed but im sure it is not for the night, but surprisingly she has been taking naps during the day. They are never for long but today she took about a 4 hour nap in the morning and then an hour one in the afternoon! Her sleeping habits are mimicking those of when she was a newborn but it looks like that might be changing! On that note I am going to make a tree and leaf and hit the hay!Goodnight!

Bilingual baby and Pumpkin Pancakes

I wish I were joking, but Audrey can say No in both German and Russian, or at least it sounds like it! It is the cutest thing I have ever heard and she is trying so hard to talk but besides the basic, Mama and Dada she can not say much. She makes a lot of sound and it truly sounds German. While we were out driving today, Audrey was talking to her Binky in the back seat, she would take it out of her mouth, stare at it, and then yell like it should talk back! Her Binky has a little lamb on so I am assuming that is what she is talking to!

Here is a photo of Audrey and her Great Grandpa!Today was full of errands but I did have time to make these delicious pumpkin pancakes! Audrey loved them and so did we!Christy and I went to Allstar Fitness and ran a mile and then did some arm weights! I still cant believe I ran a mile, I have never been able to do that before! It felt amazing! Tomorrow I am going to Silverdale to go dress shopping with my cousin Jennifer for her wedding in July!

Pumpkin Butter

So today I popped by Big Lots and Trader Joe's and found pumpkin butter! Now I do not love all things pumpkin but I do love pumpkin butterTomorrow we are going to have pumpkin pancakes for dinner! I cant wait. Nathan and Audrey spend the day together so I could get a number of things around the house done along with a nap! Nathan is such a great Dad and Audrey and him always have a blast together!

I <3 Weekends

This weekend has been laid back, just the way we like it.

Friday night my good friends Christy and Sam came over for game night. I made chicken and cheese quesadilla's and BBQ bacon chicken pizza and Christy, with her daughter Penelope brought brownies!We played Uno Spin until 3AM, it was fun!We did not wake up until 1PM on Saturday afternoon and had a lazy afternoon! Audrey got a bath, which she loves. She is splashing more and more but this time I walked out of the bathroom relatively dry. Christy and I took advantage of the sunny weather and took Penelope and Audrey for a nice long walk around Ft Steilacoom Park!After our walk we went home and spent the rest of the day playing!
Audrey had a rough night last night so we again did not wake up until 1pm this morning! We have a ton of laundry to do along with a list of other chores! Love the weekends!

Loving 2010

This year has already started off on a great foot. Nathan started his new job yesterday as the newest irrigation technician for Madrona Point and loves it. He says it is pretty slow right now but that is due to weather. Once it warms up a little his plate will be filled! Audrey is learning to crawl and stand up with help. She is not keen on the crawling part yet but we just have to work on it daily. She is getting so big and I cant believe that she will be 1 in less then 5 months. I have already started to plan her birthday and we have decided to go with a jungle buddy theme with lots of giraffes, elephants and of coarse MONKEYS! We initially wanted to have it at the zoo but after some research have decided that it is way out of our budget and we are looking for another venue! Several of my really good friends have babies around Audrey's age so it will be fun to watch them all play together and eat cake! For Christmas and my birthday I received a ton of new cake decorating tools so I will be making Audrey's birthday cake and cupcakes, I can't wait! I am going to make her a monkey cake with different animal face cupcakes! Having Audrey in our lives have made us feel complete. We cannot wait until she can walk and talk and learn to dress herself and pick out clothes! She is amazing and our little angel. For me this year holds hopefully going back to school for culinary arts at Clover Park Technical College. I have had a passion for cooking and baking since I could remember and have lately been doing a lot of it at home! I also want to buy a new car and take a trip to Vegas with Nathan as he has never been. We have been doing research and can go for a little under a week for only about $1000! We mainly want to go for the sights and The Phantom of the Opera, we don't gamble so we don't have to worry about losing any money. Also Nathan and I are wanting to move within the next 6 months but before we can do that we must save save save just in case the economy takes another trip down the crapper. Also I have a goal of doing more walking and just getting more fresh air this year. I have an amazing stroller and I do not use it enough, so my friend Christy, who has a daughter who is 11 days older then Audrey, and I are going to start walking as often as possible around the park, weather permitting of coarse! I am so excited for this year and all of the new possibilities in front of us. Its is already going great with Nathan having a new job and I am going back to school and Audrey almost being 1 and just spending more time with those we love!

I have amazing friends

Yesterday was my birthday celebration. My AMAZING fiance Nathan planned everything and my friends and I started the night out by going to Samurai's Japanese Restaurant for dinner.The concept was great. We sat around 2 large grills and had a 7 coarse meal which was prepared in front of us! Our chef Ronnie was amazing and did some pretty cool tricks with an egg and a stack of onion rings!12 of my closest friends came out to celebrate with me! They even bought me a ridiculous hat but I loved it!After dinner we went over to Farrelis for a few drinks before heading to Lady luck where my friend Yanni who is my best friend Megan's boyfriend Dj's every Wednesday! Nathans best friend Joe joined us at Farrelis!After a fun time at Farrelis we went to Lady Luck and danced and hung out with Yanni!Overall last night was amazing and I am lucky to have such great friends and a wonderful fiance to celebrate with!