Would you get on this plane??

You have heard me talk about our dear friends Trent and Christa and their little boy Bryson. Last Friday, Trent had to catch a flight, and when his plane pulled up to the gate, this is what the passengers saw. Trent took this pic with his phone. US Airways...can you not do better than this???

Tasty Tuesday

I am always looking for new recipes. I feel like we get in a rut and fix the same thing all the time. I thought I would share some of our favorites with you each Tuesday. If you have a great (and somewhat easy) family favorite, please e-mail it to me and I will pass it along. If you make a recipe and change it up a bit, let me know how it turns out.

Here is one of our favorites:


WHITE BEAN CHILI (originally from Dana Graves Cordell)

1 lb boneless chicken, cooked and shredded into small pieces
1 can chicken broth
3 cans Great Northern Beans
1 cup medium salsa (I use Pace)
1 8oz bag shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients in large pot. Cook over medium heat until cheese is melted (about 10 minutes). Stir occasionally. Serve with cornbread.


TIP: I buy boneless chicken breasts in bulk at Costco (or Sam's Club) and boil it at one time. Then I shred it and divide it into 1 pound freezer bags. The bulk pack at Costco is usually equal to 6 freezer bags. It makes cooking during the week much faster bacause the chicken is already prepared.

9 month check-up

We had an interesting check-up today. Preston weighed 20 pounds, 9 ounces. He was 28.5 inches long. I have him on a delayed shot course, so he was supposed to get 2 today. After he got the 1st one, he took in such a deep breath, he made himself pass out. It is probably an understatement to say that the nurse and I panicked. We screamed. Preston's eyes rolled back in his head, his face was purple, and he was lifeless. Two doctors came running in, and well, he is okay. His doctor told me that he will probably continue to do this when he gets mad. Has anyone else experienced this?

The before

The after












The suspects

The evidence

You decide....

Preston and Maddie thought it was fun to ride in the wagon together. This was his 1st time sitting in the wagon.

And the fun begins...

My little crawler has discovered the fun sound that door stops make when you push them down.

I found him playing in Maddie's closet Saturday. I keep storage shelves in both of their closets for quick toy clean up at night (got them at Target).

My little bag lady.

He's on the move!

Maddie and I were sitting on the couch this evening, and Preston was in the floor playing. I could just see the top of his head over the coffee table when I noticed it bobbing up and down. Then I watched it move from one end of the table to the next. I jumped up to find him on all fours and crawling away!

I looked in Maddie's baby book this weekend, and she and Preston have met most of their milestones at exactly the same ages. If this continues...I could have another walker in 6 weeks or so. Not sure how I feel about that... (this video was taken with my phone so it looks rough)

This boy played all afternoon while Maddie took a nap. Now that he can stand up, we have had a little trouble getting him to go to sleep. He will stand up in his crib and hang on, all the while crying because he is sleepy. If we go in and lay him down, he just gets back up. Here are a couple of pictures from this afternoons nap.

The Cat in the Hat

Mommy is so happy it's Presidents Day! Can't beat a paid day off from work. We went to the mall to see the Cat in the Hat, who was making an appearance at our PBK store. We patiently waited in line for our turn. He signed our book, and then we took a few pictures...and Maddie screamed at the top of her lungs. There was one person she was happy to meet...the girl at the make-up counter. Mommy needed some eye shadow, and Maddie got to sample the lip gloss.

Just playin...

Maddie and Daddy built a great tower, but guess who knocked it down???

Adventures in babysitting

We have great neighbors. We spend most of our warm afternoons outside together letting the kids play. A couple of weeks ago, we decided to start a babysitting schedule. There are 4 families, each with 2 kids (we all have a 2-year old!). One couple will keep all the kids on a Saturday night, then the other 3 couples get to go on a date. Marty and I were the first to try it. One family was out of town, so we only had 4 extra kids. Marty and I planned activities ahead of time. We fixed hotdogs, made sugar cookies for them to decorate, and we had an art project. We thought that would take up most of the evening. We were wrong. They ate hot dogs, decorated cookies, baked cookies, completed their art project, and ate cookies in about 45 minutes. Marty and I spent the remaining 2 hours and 15 minutes playing zone defense. The kids played well and we all had fun (and we will do it again). Here are some pictures...

Yes, there is a cookie under those sprinkles

Happy Valentine's Day!

Maddie got a pink laptop and Preston got a truck for Valentine's Day. We are hoping her toy laptop will keep her hands away from ours!

Gotta wear shades...

Some much needed outdoor time...

This picture cracks me up. She turned around and a bubble popped in her face.

This was Preston's 1st time in a swing (other than the baby swing).

Please pray for this family today...

Cora, a sweet 10 month old baby girl, was diagnosed with cancer less than 3 weeks ago. She is with Jesus now, and her family is having her funeral today. My worst nightmare has become reality for this family, and they really need your prayers today. I pray the rest of us are never in their shoes. Here is their blog link: http://themcclenahans.blogspot.com/

Beth Moore has let me down...

Wanna know why? Check out her daughter's blog at http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com/, and look at the post from Wednesday Feb. 4th. Too funny! (If you don't know who Beth Moore is...she is an amazing God serving, scripture teaching inspirational woman who has a Ph. D. in keeping it real. Her books and Bible studies are the best.) Let me know what you think...

Maddie pushing the kids cart at the grocery store. She is Mommy's helper!

The Zoo

We had great weather Saturday, so we took advantage and went to the zoo.

Our little monkey