Something to Blog About

I haven't really wanted to blog because I didn't want to sound like the whiny little pregnant lady that I am and that's really all I have to blog about. This little girl is taking her toll on my body. My mom just tells me it's because I'm getting OLDER. :)

But that's not the point. The point is I watched the movie Julie and Julia and I really liked it and now I have something to blog about. It got me in the mood to cook and then I got a new Cook's Country magazine the next day. They have a two page insert in each magazine that are 30-minute supper recipes. I decided that I wanted to try three new recipes every week and one dessert. This last week we made the 

Balsamic Steak with Roasted Tomato Salad,

Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice,

and Mediterranean Grilled Chicken with Tomato-Feta Salad.
 

Danny really liked the recipes with the salads because it wasn't just a main course and we didn't have to think of anything to go with them. He helped me with the steak and the grilled chicken recipes and they turned out wonderful. I did take pictures of the food that we made, but they don't do the food justice. I don't know how to photograph food. :)

I did the Tex-Mex recipe on my own and I think it could have turned out better. Danny bought me a brand new oven safe skillet just so I could try this recipe and I ended up burning a thin layer of the rice to the bottom of the pan. I also left it under the broiler just a tad too long, so instead of looking golden it looked a little more chocolate. I caught it before it turned black, though. Danny liked it, but I thought it turned out a little bit dry. Luckily you couldn't taste the burnt rice because of the crunchy Frito topping.

For next week we are going to try the 

Loaded Carbonara, 

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas,

and Flank Steak with Herbed Potatoes and Green Beans.

For dessert we are going to try a French Silk Chocolate Pie.

I love Cooks Country and America's Test Kitchen. :)

You know I can't blog without an update of the kids, so here ya go.

Kleyn is loving school and he only has two months left. He is in an after school reading program and I think it is helping with his confidence in reading a lot. He is constantly reading signs, cereal boxes, titles on Danny's magazines, and anything else that catches his eye. He is still a little bit slower than we would like, but he's really working hard and getting there. We are reading Geronimo Stilton books from the library right now. I saw one in his book order and was going to buy it for him until I found out that there are 48 books so far. I figured it was a good time to utilize our library.

Kaleb is almost done with preschool. He has graduation on May 23rd and he has loved being there this year. He always comes home and makes me close my eyes before he can show me the work that he did for the day. He loves it when it's his turn to take the snack. I try to let him choose what he wants to take. No matter what snack he chooses, he always picks apple juice for the drink. That kid loves his juice, but I try to only let him drink a little bit throughout the day. The rest of the time it's milk or water.

Dannika is fully potty trained now. She is the first one that I haven't had to worry about wetting the bed. It's a little bit odd for me to not have to worry about it, but it's also a big relief. Her hair is down to the middle of her back and I still don't really know how to style it. Most days she's stuck with it in a pony tail. Like mother like daughter, I guess. I do think it's time to get it trimmed so that it looks uniform and not so scraggly. Danny told me I should just do it myself, but really, I'm only comfortable with buzzing the boys' hair. I think I'll leave the girly hair to the professionals.

Annistyn is just kicking away. I'm not quite sure, but I'm thinking she is sitting higher than the other three did. She is constantly kicking and rolling around near my ribs and it always feels like my right side is on fire. I have terrible heart burn and my lower back feels like it's pinched. Honestly I try to remind myself how lucky and blessed we are and that this is all normal. I know I got to an uncomfortable point with the other three, but they were all fairly easy and uncomplicated pregnancies. With this little one I was sick for the first 20 weeks and then it switched to being completely uncomfortable and in pain as soon as the morning sickness finally went away. I know it is normal and now I understand what women have been saying to me about pregnancy from the beginning. I will try to stay positive and I will remember that I am very blessed and that she is happy and healthy, but I will be extremely grateful when July comes and I can get back to my normal sleep-deprived self.

Danny is just working as hard as ever. It seems like his phone is always ringing and there is always someone new out here with another job for him to do. I really think he enjoys it and I'm excited for him. I am totally behind him 100%, but I get a little bit nervous about him getting burned out. I know he knows how to manage his time and this is really helping him out getting his feet wet so that he can own his own business. I'm just being the wife. :)