While we were waiting for our food, Aud noticed a line dancing class that was happening right beside us. Daddy held Judah while we watched. It wasn't long before she started to copy what they were doing, It was amazing at what she was picking up and how fast. I was one proud Momma! At first I tired to move her into the hall so she wasn't distracting the participants but the instructor hollered over " Let 'er dance!!!" haha She also gave us two free adult tickets to a class and said to bring her back :) We haven't gone yet, things have been nuts, but we'll be having a family date there soon! Here's a little clip.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Line Dancer
A few weeks ago, we went to a going away dinner for a guy in the kennels. It was at this place that had a restaurant, bar, and line dancing club all in one. No, we didn't PCS to the West and not tell anybody.
While we were waiting for our food, Aud noticed a line dancing class that was happening right beside us. Daddy held Judah while we watched. It wasn't long before she started to copy what they were doing, It was amazing at what she was picking up and how fast. I was one proud Momma! At first I tired to move her into the hall so she wasn't distracting the participants but the instructor hollered over " Let 'er dance!!!" haha She also gave us two free adult tickets to a class and said to bring her back :) We haven't gone yet, things have been nuts, but we'll be having a family date there soon! Here's a little clip.
While we were waiting for our food, Aud noticed a line dancing class that was happening right beside us. Daddy held Judah while we watched. It wasn't long before she started to copy what they were doing, It was amazing at what she was picking up and how fast. I was one proud Momma! At first I tired to move her into the hall so she wasn't distracting the participants but the instructor hollered over " Let 'er dance!!!" haha She also gave us two free adult tickets to a class and said to bring her back :) We haven't gone yet, things have been nuts, but we'll be having a family date there soon! Here's a little clip.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Date Night...aka Steelers Game
We were extremely blessed with tickets to the Steeler/Giants game this past Sunday! I had never been to an NFL game and was so excited about it. What I was even more excited about was getting time with Ben. My Father in law gave us the tickets and brother in law went as well, we had a great time. Needless to say, my first NFL experience will be tough to top.
The seats were incredible, the game was so much fun, and we had a blast together. The MetLife stadium is about and hour and 45mins away. My Mom in law stayed at our house with the kiddos so we could go. I am truly blessed by having such an awesome extended family.
We got out of church a little later, and had some car switching to do so in the chaos, I forgot my Nikon. Thankfully the iphone has a good camera and my Father-in-law never leaves home without a camera.
The seats were incredible, the game was so much fun, and we had a blast together. The MetLife stadium is about and hour and 45mins away. My Mom in law stayed at our house with the kiddos so we could go. I am truly blessed by having such an awesome extended family.
We got out of church a little later, and had some car switching to do so in the chaos, I forgot my Nikon. Thankfully the iphone has a good camera and my Father-in-law never leaves home without a camera.
Box seats, way too fun
A little dark but it'll do.
Isn't that beautiful? We didn't know it but it was military appreciation night. So proud of my man.
Yay for the Steelers WIN!!!!
Sandy
It blows me away at the amount of destruction wind and water can do. It's very scary.
We were very blessed in only having to be without power for a week and nothing else major. My Mom-in-law was in for the weekend to watch the kiddos so Ben and I could go to a Paul Tripp Marriage Conference (which was outstanding, couldn't recommend it enough). I aslo had to work 12hours on Sunday so she stayed and helped Ben out.
The whole way to work I kept seeing signs about NJ in a State of Emergency and that bridges and roads could be closed at anytime. I called Ben and had him check the weather to make sure it was really okay that I was driving. It was fine but he said about checking on only working 8hrs so I wouldn't be driving in the rain, late at night.
It was a great day at work, flew by, and I only stayed 8hrs. With the radio not working in the car, and us not having cable, we really didn't know much about Sandy. haha I know, I think we were the only people in NJ that didn't know there was a hurricane coming until 2 days prior. Anyways, closer I got to home the worse it got. When I finally started counting, I counted about 35 electric trucks from the midwest all making their way to NJ. I called Ben and if things got bad, he'd be going to base and staying until they told him it was okay to go home. He didn't want the kids and I to be alone, without power and him be on base. I got home and we talked to my Mom in law and we all agreed that the kids and I would leave with her that night.
We packed bags, cleaned out cars, and were on our way by 2100. Before getting on the turnpike paseed 18 ambulances caravaning North. I had been up since 0300 that morning so Brenda did all the driving. I was beat but couldn't let her drive 6hrs in silence. We got back to her house about 0300. We took my van back and left her car at our house since they were coming back out to ours the following weekend for a boxing match and the Steelers/Giants game, so it worked out great. God is great at planning details.
Ben lost power the next day and it didn't come back until this past Saturday. He was at work the whole time only coming home to sleep. Beretta went with him to work in case he couldn't get back home. There was no heat, no water, and no power. He was able to shower and eat at work. Once it finally stopped raining he did make a stove outside, I love my outdoors man.
Being away from Ben in the worst, but it was the right choice. The kiddos had a great time at Oma and Poppas, and getting to see Meemim and Poppa Marty too.
We booked the last room in the surrounding area on Friday so we'd have a place to stay over the weekend but praise God out power came back the next day and we even got our two free nights back and didn't have to pay for anything.
We lost everything in our fridge, freezer, and deep freezer. I think what bothered me the most about it was that I had 2 enormous bags of breast milk lost. We are very thankful that's all we lost and that we have a great insurance company that compensated our food spoilage. If you don't have renters insurance GET IT.
People are still without power, water, and heat. People have lost everything and are still in danger. Please keep them in your prayers.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Judah's on a roll... literally!!
haha I'm soo funny....well maybe not but, at least for now, my kiddos think I am!
On Tuesday Judah cub rolled from his belly to his back on the left side, much to his own surprise! It was soo funny. He kept looking at me like.. MOMMA SOMETHINGS HAPPENING!!!! I kept putting him back on his belly to do it again and he just got angry :)
Then today he had his checkup and he weight a whopping 18lbs 3oz, and is 26.75inches long!! Up 2lbs and 2inches from last month! Isn't that amazing???
God has blessed our son in ways we never thought possible!!!
On Tuesday Judah cub rolled from his belly to his back on the left side, much to his own surprise! It was soo funny. He kept looking at me like.. MOMMA SOMETHINGS HAPPENING!!!! I kept putting him back on his belly to do it again and he just got angry :)
Then today he had his checkup and he weight a whopping 18lbs 3oz, and is 26.75inches long!! Up 2lbs and 2inches from last month! Isn't that amazing???
God has blessed our son in ways we never thought possible!!!
Whole Food/Plant Based Diet in Process...
Okay you can stop rolling your eyes right now!! :) Hear me out- not that I really have to explain our own personal conviction but I'd like too.
Soooo Ben and I have been tossing and turning lately about switching our family to a whole food/plant based diet. Which is pretty much a Vegan diet but without anything processed. No meat, no animal products (including eggs and dairy), no oils, and low sodium. All whole grains, all veggies, and all fruit.
A while back Ben and I watched Food Inc.- a documentary about where our food comes from. What effected us the most was the way our farmers are being treated like slaves to a master in terms of producing meat and veggies for us all to eat. It really bothered me and hit home, my Mom's side of the family are farmers- terrific ones too that don't have their cattle on hormones, all corn based diet, and are treated properly. We sat down and looked at our grocery budget to see how we could afford to buy more organic things and try to buy as much local that we could.
A few days later, (we were on a documentary kick) we watched Forks over Knives. It was a great watch and I highly recommend it, both really. It was about how Amercians have really their health go by eating massive amount of meat, processed food, high amounts of dairy and eggs, and little vegetables/fruits. And how things like Heart Disease, Coronary Artery Disease, Diabetes could be managed if not reversed with switching to an all plant based diet. It wasn't just a bunch of nobodies with letter missing behind their names either. Look into it, read the case studies both doctors have put out.
Ben and I are not, and will not, condem anyone who doesn't follow a plant diet or try and convert you- like I said, this is a total personal conviction. We're going to try it for awhile and see how it fits. The number one reason it really for Judah. Judah's heart condition has only been able to be fixed for 20yrs. So the kids that were the first ones to have the surgery are only 20yrs old, so we have no idea what kind, if any, types of heart issues my face him down the road. So, we are going to do everything in our power to make sure his heart is as healthy as possible. I feel we can do that by taking away meat and eliminating the cholesterol in his diet, keeping his transplanted coronary arteries healthy as well as the rest of his sweet little pluming. I know what your thinking, what about protein and minerals and all that jazz he won't get from meat. Well, we eat a ton of beans, lentils that you get more protein from than meat. The only vitamin you can't get in an all plant diet is B12, due the way farming has evolved. That's easily solved by a tablespoon of nutritional yeast or a supplement. We also want to do this for our own health. One thing Ben and I both are set on though is not incorporating soy. A little bit of soy flour here and there is okay but we're choosing not to do soy milk, tofu, or anything like that.
We are not going to be crazy people who are snobs about not eating meat. Yes I'm going to have a piece of Thanksgiving turkey and ham on Christmas and allow my kiddos to do the same. If we are asked to a meal at someones house, we will not be rude or demand they accommodate us. We just won't have it in our house or eat on a regular basis.
We're actually excited about this and looking forward to it. Audrey is a fantastic eater, praise God, and is super happy with beans, fruit, veggies, and whole grains. She didn't eat meat until she was about 18months old anyways so this isn't really a big deal.
We are currently trying to get rid of the meat we have in the freezer and ease into an all plant based diet. It's been neat trying so many different recipes and try substitutions.
One of my favorite so far has been the Red Bean and Rice Soup from Emeril with a few adjustments. Isn't it pretty???
I'm going to try and put some blogs up about how its going from time to time!! Once I get real good, I get back to posting menus, I might have to just keep rotating 10 meals until I get this diet down! :)
Soooo Ben and I have been tossing and turning lately about switching our family to a whole food/plant based diet. Which is pretty much a Vegan diet but without anything processed. No meat, no animal products (including eggs and dairy), no oils, and low sodium. All whole grains, all veggies, and all fruit.
A while back Ben and I watched Food Inc.- a documentary about where our food comes from. What effected us the most was the way our farmers are being treated like slaves to a master in terms of producing meat and veggies for us all to eat. It really bothered me and hit home, my Mom's side of the family are farmers- terrific ones too that don't have their cattle on hormones, all corn based diet, and are treated properly. We sat down and looked at our grocery budget to see how we could afford to buy more organic things and try to buy as much local that we could.
A few days later, (we were on a documentary kick) we watched Forks over Knives. It was a great watch and I highly recommend it, both really. It was about how Amercians have really their health go by eating massive amount of meat, processed food, high amounts of dairy and eggs, and little vegetables/fruits. And how things like Heart Disease, Coronary Artery Disease, Diabetes could be managed if not reversed with switching to an all plant based diet. It wasn't just a bunch of nobodies with letter missing behind their names either. Look into it, read the case studies both doctors have put out.
Ben and I are not, and will not, condem anyone who doesn't follow a plant diet or try and convert you- like I said, this is a total personal conviction. We're going to try it for awhile and see how it fits. The number one reason it really for Judah. Judah's heart condition has only been able to be fixed for 20yrs. So the kids that were the first ones to have the surgery are only 20yrs old, so we have no idea what kind, if any, types of heart issues my face him down the road. So, we are going to do everything in our power to make sure his heart is as healthy as possible. I feel we can do that by taking away meat and eliminating the cholesterol in his diet, keeping his transplanted coronary arteries healthy as well as the rest of his sweet little pluming. I know what your thinking, what about protein and minerals and all that jazz he won't get from meat. Well, we eat a ton of beans, lentils that you get more protein from than meat. The only vitamin you can't get in an all plant diet is B12, due the way farming has evolved. That's easily solved by a tablespoon of nutritional yeast or a supplement. We also want to do this for our own health. One thing Ben and I both are set on though is not incorporating soy. A little bit of soy flour here and there is okay but we're choosing not to do soy milk, tofu, or anything like that.
We are not going to be crazy people who are snobs about not eating meat. Yes I'm going to have a piece of Thanksgiving turkey and ham on Christmas and allow my kiddos to do the same. If we are asked to a meal at someones house, we will not be rude or demand they accommodate us. We just won't have it in our house or eat on a regular basis.
We're actually excited about this and looking forward to it. Audrey is a fantastic eater, praise God, and is super happy with beans, fruit, veggies, and whole grains. She didn't eat meat until she was about 18months old anyways so this isn't really a big deal.
We are currently trying to get rid of the meat we have in the freezer and ease into an all plant based diet. It's been neat trying so many different recipes and try substitutions.
One of my favorite so far has been the Red Bean and Rice Soup from Emeril with a few adjustments. Isn't it pretty???
Jaimie's Red Bean and Rice Soup
- 1 medium white onion, diced small
- 1/2 medium green bell pepper, diced small
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, plus more for serving
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cans (15.5 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- In a large pot, over medium high heat add onion and bell pepper and saute until softened, 5 minutes (it's best to use a non-stick pot so the pepers and onions can cook in their own juices so you don't have to add oil). Add garlic and Cajun seasoning and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add broth and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and season with salt. Simmer until broth is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes, skimming any foam that rises to top.
- Stir in rice and cook, stirring occasionally, add scallions and cook on low until rice has cooked. You can add more broth to your liking- we liked it a little thicker so I didn't add additional broth. Remove from heat and season with additional Cajun seasoning, if desired. (Refrigerate cooled soup in an airtight container, up to 3 days.)
I'm going to try and put some blogs up about how its going from time to time!! Once I get real good, I get back to posting menus, I might have to just keep rotating 10 meals until I get this diet down! :)
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Auddy's Bike!
Our dearest German friend bought Audrey a German bike for her birthday. It's a 2 wheeler with no peddles or training wheels. She just pushes it with her feet. Whenever we'd go downtown or through a park- we'd see little kiddos on these bikes and we said we really wanted one for Audrey. They learn how to balance better and it just looks like so much fun,
I wouldn't let Audrey ride it until we found her a helmet. I think she likes it as much as the bike! Thanks Alex, you are such a sweet friend and we miss you dearly!
I wouldn't let Audrey ride it until we found her a helmet. I think she likes it as much as the bike! Thanks Alex, you are such a sweet friend and we miss you dearly!
Making sure the helmet fits just right!
She was sooo excited! She did really well too!
4 Months, can it really be???
Judahcub is 4 months old!!!!! It just amazes me how fast babies grow! He's learning so much, so fast- it's truly a miracle.
As you can see, trying to get Mr. Judahcub to lay still was just pointless. :)
Judah Stats:
Weight: not sure but at 3.5 months he was 16.4lbs.
Height: TBA
Wearing: Our biggie boy is wearing 9-12 month outfits.... I know
Sleep:
Judah is such a rock solid napper- it's so different having a kiddo that actually sleeps good! That right there ,is an answer to` prayer my friends. He naps about 2 hours in the morning from 9-11 then in the after noon usually 1300-1600. Then he goes down for bed about 1830. Even though he still wakes up every 3 hours to eat, he gets up for the day about 07-0730.
Eating:
Would it surprise you if I said he loves to eat? :) Judah is eating about ever 2.5-3 hours round the clock. Sometimes more, rarely less.
Development:
Judah has been very busy this past month! He's found his toes, loves to roll up on his shoulders but refuses to go to extra centimeter to roll onto his belly. But then again- he HATE his belly. HATES. Judahcub LOVES to stand. He's so funny- when you stand his up and face him toward you, he reaches, puffs his chest out and just smiles sooo big- I giggle every time. Judah is really good at reaching for things. Especially Audrey. It's adorable!! He reaches and grasps at his toys, for your face, and for our dinner! He's starting to really intimidate sounds. Right now he's working hard on spitting- I'll have to double up the bibs then.
Favorites:
Drooling
Audrey
Fingers and Toes
Standing
Eating
Watching the dog
the exer-saucer
Reading with Momma and the wild woman
Getting Tickled
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