Summer Lovin'

I have been completely MIA and not just from blogging. I feel like life has just been flying by me! The past few weeks have been a blur with all of our summer activities. I can't believe that this week will be the middle of July. It feels like Memorial Day was this past weekend. Oh no, wait, that was just Independence Day.

Our biggest news of the summer is that James had his springs removed!! YAY! We went in for surgery on June 26 and everything went great. No overnights in the PICU and a fairly smooth recovery at home after a one-night stay at the hospital.

Thomas has been my busy little bee. A week after participating in his very first VBS, he participated in his first soccer camp at our church. He had a blast, although drop-offs were a little rough some days. This past week and next week are swim lessons for Little Man. If you read my post about our swimming debacle then you know swimming has not been an easy one, but now I'm scared he is going to start growing gills.

This summer has been interesting for me personally as well. I decided to take not one, but two bible studies with our women's ministry. Both are challenging me in ways that I never thought possible. I feel more spiritually sound than I have in almost a decade. The past three years have been very difficult for me, and I am finally learning to have peace and assurance that God has something planned despite all of this brokenness.

I saw this quote on Facebook over the Fourth of July weekend and am clinging to it as my new favorite verse.

Speaking of the Fourth, check out this cutie-patootie.

All in all we are having a great summer. I am exhausted but the kids are having a blast and that's all that matters.

Now, will someone bring me a cup of coffee?

Low Carb White Chicken Chili

Chili has always been a favorite of mine. When looking for healthier options for some of my favorite meals, I discovered White Chicken Chili. Actually after I started making this I have pretty much decided not to go back to regular ground beef chili unless I just really have a craving for it.

Low Carb White Chicken Chili
Ingredients:
3 15 oz. cans white beans
1 pound chicken breast
1 5 oz. can green chiles
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tsp of coriander
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and Pepper to taste

The best way I have found to cook chicken breast is in the crock pot for 3-4 hours on high. By the time it is finished, it will be falling apart--a great sign to good chicken! Shred the cooked chicken and combine with beans, chiles, tomato sauce, chili powder, coriander and broth in large pot. Stir ingredients well and place on stove on medium-high heat until contents begin to boil. Add cheese and cut heat down to low. Once the cheese is melted, it's ready to serve!

Enjoy!

One Year.

One year. Holy crap, has it only been that long?!

One year ago today I said "I do" to the most amazing man I have ever known. He pushes my buttons every. Single. Day. But good Lord, I love him.

We have been through an incredible year--getting married, merging a family, finding out we were pregnant, searching for a house, buying a house and finally moving into a house just as I was being put on bed rest, preeclampsia, a preemie, a major cranial surgery for our baby and so, so much more.

I cannot imagine going through the events of the last year with anyone else but Brian. His take-charge attitude during my hospital stay with preeclampsia let me know that he was concerned with my well-being, as well as our baby. He constantly asked the doctors questions after we found out about James' craniosynostosis. Everything that I was afraid to do--he was able to do.

I've always thought that marriage was a team effort. Brian possesses strengths that I do not. Where I am scared, he is confident. Where I am strong, he is weak. In many ways, we are polar opposites, but at the end of the day, it totally works for us.

Most women love the book and movie, "The Notebook." Of course it's the sweet, touching story of a girl and guy who fall in love, are separated, fall back in love and live happily ever after...sort of. But what I love is the brutal honesty in one of the scenes--the truth about true love and about commitment.

There's a lot more to the scene, including the couple's brutal honesty with one another at times. That's what marriage should be. No one wants to fight, but no one wants another person who doesn't care about them either.

And when the two of us are just about at the end of our ropes with one another, we remember what Stephanie captured in our wedding photos:

Be nice...

Diving In?

From the first time I put Thomas in a swimming pool, I just knew he was going to be a little fish. He had absolutely no fear of water. It was actually kind of scary at times. He loved to splash, loved to run in it, play in it. It was his favorite place to play.

Last year, just after his third birthday, I bought floaties for him to learn how to really swim, certain that we would be using them all summer long. The little booger only wore them one time and screamed the whole time he was in them. The rest of the summer he refused to get in the pool, opting instead to sit on the steps with no more than his ankles under water.

Since we no longer live in an apartment with a pool, and our neighborhood doesn't have one, I opted to join the Family Y for the summer so we could use its pool. I was hesitant after what happened last year with Thomas, but I figured he has to learn at some point.

Monday morning I told Thomas to come upstairs so we could get dressed. At the first sight of his bathing suit he began screaming. I told him that we were just going to play on the splash pad, which still was unacceptable to him. I pulled up a video on my iPad of a splash pad, but he still was not on board with the day's activity. I finally got him ready and somewhat excited about going. 

After dropping James off at the nursery, Thomas and I headed toward the splash pad. Unfortunately, to get to the outdoor splash pad, you have to walk by in the indoor pool. Cue massive freak-out. I had to pick him up, kicking and screaming, and carry him outside.

He eventually calmed down and, well, just see for yourself:

At one point, he even got brave enough to try the water slide. I pointed out to him that when he got to the bottom he would land in the water, but I would catch him if he wanted to do it. "Okay, Momma!" he exclaimed as he headed toward the stairs. 

Enter Debbie-Downer Lifeguard who informed us that he had to pass a swim test and get a bracelet in order to go down the slide. Boo. I explained to Thomas that he would have to learn how to swim if he wanted to go on the slide.

That must have stuck with him because yesterday, this happened:

As parents, we want our kids to learn new things, especially major skills like swimming, reading or learning to drive a car. When we rush those things, it makes life frustrating for us and them. Instead of feeling accomplished when they finally achieve those moments, they feel like they have finally measured up and begin dreading what the next expectation will be.

So for now I will celebrate that he is learning to swim. He has confidence in himself and that will help him with future activities. He is proud of himself and so am I. I should stop expecting him to dive in and be thankful that he is getting in the water at all.

Even if it is one toe at a time.

Healthy Baked Ziti

Love me some pasta. But I also love me some skinny jeans. Decisions, decisions.

Luckily, this dish doesn't have me squeezing into my stretchy pants after I eat a couple of servings. It's fairly light and even the pasta is good for you. Read that again...pasta...good for you. Nom, nom, nom.

Healthy Baked Ziti

1 14 1/2 oz box whole wheat penne pasta

1 pound ground beef (or ground sausage for GREAT flavor, but also adds more fat)

1 tsp. Italian seasoning1 15 oz container fat-free ricotta cheese4 cups finely shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (save one cup for topping)1/2 tsp. garlic powder4 cups of a low-fat, low-sodium marinara sauce6 oz. grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese (save three tablespoons for topping)Salt to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Cook until soft, set aside. Brown ground beef or sausage in pan. Combine pasta, meat, seasoning, ricotta, three cups of mozzarella, garlic powder, marinara, salt and all but three tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Mix well. Place mixture in a 9x13 casserole dish and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until ingredients begin to bubble. Remove and top with remaining Parmesan and mozzarella. Return to oven for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon and Sauteed Veggies

Getting a home cooked meal on the table some days is difficult. Getting a healthy meal on the table is almost laughable. I really do strive to give my family the healthiest meals but there are times when a drive-thru run or something with the word "nugget" in it is about all I can do.

This weekend I made a great grilled salmon and sauteed veggies that were incredibly easy and didn't take a lot of time. First, I warmed my grill to about 375 degrees. While I waited, I wrapped about four ounces of salmon in aluminum foil. If you don't have a scale, four ounces is roughly the size of your palm. I did four ounces for each person. After the grill was warm I placed the wrapped salmon on the grill and left it for about 25 minutes. We left our salmon "naked," but you can certainly add your favorite spices or a few squeezes of lemon. Diced tomatoes are also a great addition!

While the salmon sizzled on the grilled, I sliced up one zucchini and several mushrooms. In a medium frying pan I circled some EVOO around the pan twice and set to medium high heat. Once the pan was warm, I sauteed the veggies for about 5-10 minutes. I like my veggies cooked pretty well so mine are a little dark, but you can always go a little lighter if you prefer.

I was pretty stuffed just from this but a sweet potato would have been a great healthy starch to add for those with a bigger appetite.

Milestones

This past week has been a week filled with milestones for our family. I can't believe everything that has taken place for us and all the things I know are about to happen.

First of all, my "baby," Thomas, turned four. Four. How the heck did that happen?! He should still be learning to roll over, and yet today I went to sign him up for soccer camp and Pre-K. I guess time flies when you're having fun.

Now our real baby, James, is on to eating solid foods. I wasn't sure how he would do since Thomas absolutely hated solid foods until about eight months old. It wasn't love at first taste, but James did great after he got used to the rice cereal and has already to pureed veggies which he loves.

Brian and I are getting into some great business opportunities with Startup Augusta, and Brian is serving as a mentor for the organization. I am also now a contributor to Augusta Moms and am SO excited to be writing again. I can't wait to share some of my recipes and other articles over there, but I'll still be maintaining my blog here.

Speaking of the blog, thanks to a little push from our local Christian radio station when I won their recipe of the week contest, I reached 4,000 hits on my blog today. I know that's not much compared to many blogs out there, but it is definitely a good starting point for me that I am very excited about.

It's times like this when I have to thank God for everything He is doing in my life and the lives of my family. We are blessed so much more than we could ever deserve, and I can't wait to see where He leads us next.