we had fun wrapping brothers present today.....

i swear he was entertained for 45 minutes with this roll of ribbon!!!!

this post is a week late.....

last sunday we ventured out to Cate Square on a BEAUTIFUL day to listen to the music. every 3rd Sunday they have live music and we really enjoyed ourselves. Jordan mostly wanted to play in the park....but when they brought out the fiddle he was super excited. he kept shouting "VIOLIN! VIOLIN!" and wanting to run closer to the stage. he is facsinated with violins these days (and will be getting a play one for his birthday very soon!!!)

i'm hoping this video shows a bit of jaxon's little personality that is just blooming! he is such a happy go lucky sweetheart of a baby. his smile lights up his entire body and i love it when he "bounces". the second 1/2 is of him and his friend macauley. she's a month older.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

THIS is why i love having boys........

one huge rainstorm and some nice holes in the yard = HOURS of entertainment.

j's hat

jordan put his hat on jax yesterday. asah snapped this oh-so-cute pic!

this week

Jordan and Jaxon continue to LOVE each other; whenver Jax is down for a nap Jordan is always asking me "Where's Brother?" And when we get out of the car at the store he always reminds me "Go get brother!". (Just in case I was going to forget and leave him in the van)

Here they are playing outside yesterday. I pulled out the walker for Jaxon and although he cant "walk" it yet it made for a nice place for him to sit and watch Jordan. We were also surprised yesterday by the Ice Cream man coming down the road. I grabbed a few bucks and told Jordan it was the Ice cream man. He didnt know what that meant until I let him pick out something from all the pictures on the side of the van that was playing the music. He got a Dora ice cream. Probably a mistake. Now everytime he comes by J will want to get something. Oh, well.


giving brother kisses


both are suffering from round #2 allergies/asthma attack. at least this time we recognized it immediately and jumped on the treatments. Jordan gets Zyrtec and Pulmicort breathing treatments along with a cough syrup. Benadryl seems to do the trick for Jaxon. We also think tooth #1 is about to make it's grand entrance. There's a tiny white bump on the bottom gums.....

i cannot believe Jordan will be 3 in a couple weeks. He is growing up so fast. He has almost mastered the 3rd part of his Catechism which amazed both asah and I last night. The question is super long but he repeated the answer back almost verbatim! He memorizes well, much better than his mama.

Tara's Sunday lima beans

I have to try hard to find veggies I like, but I love to make these on Sundays to go with whatever is for Sunday lunch. I just made them again this morning and realized how much I love them. Even Jordan eats them! Enjoy.

1 bag frozen baby limas
1 can chicken broth
1/2 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced (I just used the already minced kind)
salt and pepper
Olive oil
Goya Sazon seasoning (this stuff is a-mazing! i use it on just about every veggie i cook)-You actually find it near the Latino stuff in the grocery store.

Heat 1 tbs olive oil in pot. Add onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add bag of limas and chicken broth and a 1/2 packet of the Goya Sazon along with salt and pepper. Simmer on low-med for a good 45 minutes to an hour.

jax-6 months

sweet little laugh, mr. happy go lucky (most of the time). the non-sleeping-est baby i've ever been around.....we love the little guy.

at 6 months he still rarely rolls over, just prefers to be in whatever position you put him in, but IS getting great at sitting up. his bubbling personality is so sweet, especially when i'm in a fog in the mornings from getting up with him multiple times. yes, that's right, i'm just going to quit posting when we make breakthroughs on sleep because it's usually only that way a couple days then we're back to not sleeping....oh, well.
he loves every single food i've given him except bananas. lately his favorites are green beans, apples, and tropical fruit medly :)
he especially loves his brother and his eyes dont leave Jordan while he's in the room.
he is addicted to his pacifier and always has something in his mouth!
enjoy the pictures.

so true. and hilarious.

2 great "copycat" recipes

I've made both of these recently and both have turned out EXCELLENT.

here's Cracker Barrel's Hashbrown Casserole:

(SERVES 10 -12 )


Ingredients
2 lbs frozen hash browns
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
1 (10 1/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper


Directions
-Preheat oven to 350°F and spray an 11 x 14 baking dish with cooking spray.
-Mix the above ingredients together, place in prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until brown on top.



and Chili's Fajitas:

I must say they tasted GREAT and much like Chili's. The secret is the marinade; and letting the meat marinate overnight if possible. We had NO leftovers and really enjoyed this. If you're heading to Jordan's Fiesta in a few weeks you'll get to taste them there....I was testing this recipe out to see if it was a "go" and it is.

Ingredients-

1/4 c lime juice

3 tbs vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic

3 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp liquid hickory smoke

1/2 tsp cayenne (red) pepper

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or skirt steak

2 tbs water

1/2 tsp lime juice

large spanish onion (sliced thin)-i used both red and white onions

2 med green bell peppers-seeded and sliced thin

1 red bell pepper-sliced thin and seeded.



-Marinade: combine 1/2 c lime juice; 2 tbs oil, garlic, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp salt, liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp pepper in sealable plastic container, add chicken or steak and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight (preferred).

-Combine water, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp lime juice and a dash of salt and pepper, set aside.

-Saute meat at medium-high until cooked through (or grill).

-Cut meat into thin strips, set aside.

-In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook onion and peppers in remaining 1 tbs oil until brown; remove from heat. Pour reserved liquid mixture over onions and peppers.

-Toss together meat, onions, and peppers.

serve with warm tortillas, pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream and guacamole.

promise i'm not dead

just the busiest we've been in awhile. yesterday i worked 14 hours at the gym. i took on a new "side job" doing some audit work. what is this, my 6th or 7th job? i've lost count. anyway, i also had my regular Kids Korner shift then also was on schedule for parents night out.....making it the longest day ever for me and asah i think. 8am-10pm. gross.
i'm up early this morning for a womens fellowship at church and i just feel spent. i really will post an update soon.
here's cause for leaping and dancing though:
the past two nights jaxon has slept, semi un swaddled, from 6:30pm to 5:00am. a-mazing!!!!! we are working on our swaddle addiction and it seems the boy is close to being ready to give up the thing.
off to make a hashbrown casserole. i need some sleeeeeeeeeeeeep.

much better week.

i like march already. february was the month of sickness...but so far march has treated us nicely. jaxon has (sort of) slept through the night the past three nights. i cannot tell you the last time i've slept for 6-7 hours in a row. it feels amazing. jaxon still has a lingering cough but it's small compared to what it was; and jordan seems completely better. here they are this week: