Just days away...

It's hard to believe that these pictures were taken 6mths ago! We had gotten back from Jamaica just 2 weeks before where we had a beautiful wedding and great memories with family and friends.

Well I can now happily say he will be here in a few days. I am not supposed to publish exact dates so just know that it is soon and we are super excited! Awaiting his arrival, Soph and I made him a welcome home sign and we just received one of his gifts in the mail. I thought a beer basket for Jake seemed appropriate:)

People often ask me if the time went by quickly and I have to say it's been a bit of both. When I actually think about what we have done in the last 6mths it feels like its been forever. To name a few there was Father's Day, Sophie's recital, a trip to the Ozarks, Sophs 2nd Birthday, Jake's 30th Birthday, Halloween, trip home for Bre's baby shower and I am sure a few others. The nice thing is that through all the events this past 6mths, Jake was still apart of all that we experienced. We love you babe, see you soon!

Elf On The Shelf

One of our favorite gifts for Christmas last year was an Elf on the Shelf. Our cousin Robin sent this to Sophie and we were so excited to use it this year! It is an awesome idea for little ones. It comes with a book that explains who this little elf is and how he is Santa's helper. It has helped so much when Sophie is having a meltdown I just glance over at the elf and she kind of smirks knowing that Lilly(you name the elf) will be reporting back to Santa on how well behaved she was. You can pick one up at Barnes & Nobles, great gift idea for those with little ones!

Home Stretch

I haven't blogged since our wedding, mostly because we were home for the summer and when we got back to Minot in Sept. there was lots of catching up to do. So now that things are pretty well under control and we are counting down the days until Jake returns, I thought it was time to crack the knuckles and start at it again. I miss writing and my blog is so great for family and friends to see what we are up to here in Minot. Jake is due to return around the 19th and Sophie and I are so anxiously awaiting. I really do think she understands. I have a Countdown Til Papa Returns Jar of M&M's and Sophie knows that she gets one everyday. When the jar is empty that is the day Papa comes home! This has really been fun and worked out well. It's actually helped me put in perspective the time he has been gone and now we are on the home stretch with only a few weeks to go!

Sophie and I have been Pumpkin Patching, Dancing our hearts out and making lots of pretty pictures for Papa. Her and I really have had a great time together, but we are ready for our missing piece to return.

I will post pics soon of all our fun fall excursions!

Homemade Ground Turkey Meatballs

Very yummy and easy to throw together...

1 lb. ground turkey
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 c. bread crumbs (fine)
1/4 c. fresh or 1 tbsp. dry parsley
1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Mix and shape into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Saute in large skillet until browned and no longer pink.

1 week from today...destination Jamaica!

It still hasn't hit me that in 1 week from today we will be Jamaica bound! I am so excited to step off the plane into warm weather, white sands and the relaxing feeling that comes along with vacation.

But before I get ahead of myself, there is a lot more to a vacation now that we travel with our sweet baby girl. Gone are the days of picking out magazines at the airport and sipping on a festive drink! Now there is definitely more prep involved. Here are a few things we usually do to make the trip go as smoothly as possible:

*New toys(great at target in the $1 section)
*Snacks galore(even if they aren't the healthiest)!
*Portable DVD Player(she doesn't like the head phones much, but we are def. bringing it)
*Her baby and nana(we almost never leave home without them)
*Paper and crayons

One thing I like to do is bring out one thing at a time and drag each toy, snack, etc. out as long as possible!

This traveling experience will be the longest we have had via car, plane and bus! We are driving 8 hours to MN on Weds. and staying over night and heading to the airport at 4am to make our 6:30am flight!!! An early morning for all, but I am hoping she is sleepy and naps on the plane. Next we have a lay over in Miami. I think that will be ok, by then a little stretch will be good for her. We land in Jamaica in 2:40pm and let the festivities begin! Oh wait, we do have to catch a bus that takes us to the resort, but by then we will be pros at the whole traveling business and just be happy to be there! In Jamaica everything is "NO PROBLEM" oh if we could all live by that motto!

Sophie loved trying on shoes for the big day! Those will be perfect with her dress, which arrived on Monday with a week or so to spare...whew! She thought she would try on my shorts to see if they looked ok on her and this morning I painted her toes for the first time!
She looks like a beach beauty to me!

SW Stuffed Peppers!

One of our favorite healthy dinners is Southwest Stuffed Peppers! I found this recipe at http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/10/recipe-favorites-southwestern-stuffed.html

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did last night! Great as left overs too!

6 large red, yellow, orange, or green peppers
1 lb. extra lean ground beef (less than 10% fat) (we used ground turkey)
1-2 tsp. olive oil if needed
1 onion, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed well and drained
1 can diced tomatoes and juice
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles with juice
1 tsp. chile powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 cups cooked brown rice (use boil in a bag, so simple)
1 1/2 cups grated cheese (I used Mexican Four Cheese Blend which is low fat cheeses)

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In large frying pan, brown ground beef well and drain off fat. Push ground beef to the side, add a bit of olive oil if pan seems dry and saute onion 3-4 minutes, until well softened. Add rinsed black beans, tomatoes and juice, green chiles and juice, chile powder, and cumin. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20-30 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.

While mixture simmers, cut tops off peppers and remove seeds.

When mixture in pan seems dry, turn off heat. Let cool about 5 minutes, then mix in cooked rice and cheese. Stuff each pepper with the meat/rice mixture, pushing it down so peppers are tightly filled.

Place peppers in a dish small enough to hold them compactly and cover with foil. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove foil, and bake 10-20 minutes more, until tops are slightly browned and pepper skin can be pierced easily with a fork. Serve immediately.

Jamaican Mother's Day...

I was looking through photos of Sophie last year and I just can't believe how much bigger she has gotten! With Mother's Day just 2 weeks away, along with our wedding I couldn't help but post a tribute to Mother's Day. This year Mother's Day will also be our Wedding Day! What an amazing time for us! These pictures are from our first Mother's Day together in Louisiana and I can't wait to post this of this year in Jamaica!