Trip to Birmingham

We made the long trek down to Birmingham for Thanksgiving. It took us about 10 -10 1/2 hours each way, largely due to traffic. The kids did great with the drive. We only had to stop twice.

We stayed with Brent's sister (Cara) and her family (Uncle Clay and cousins Cooper and Cohen). And then Gammy drove up from Mobile too. The kids had a blast playing with their cousins and all the "new" toys. They have a huge fenced in backyard and a big swing set (both of which I'm jealous of) so the kids could run and burn off their energy!

The kids also had a blast jumping on the trampoline together and watching Uncle Clay do some tricks for them.

Both of our kids had a new experience - making smores! We hadn't done that with them before....(just imagine Griffin with fire and you'll understand why...) Avery loved roasting the marshmallows but didn't want to eat them and Griffin just ate a ton of unroasted marshmallows...and of course, my husband made me a yummy smore that I devoured! (it was for the baby, of course!)

Brent and I enjoyed our time visiting family, meeting our nephew who was born in June, playing cards, eating a ton, and having some family time. Clay and Brent escaped one day and went to Dreamland BBQ for some manly bonding...and then the next day all the girls were able to go to Homewood for some O'Carrs chicken salad, O'Henry's coffee, and a quick look through At Home. (these were some of my favorite places when we lived in B'ham.)

We also had an early Christmas with everyone since we won't see Brent's side of the family for Christmas. All the kids loved opening presents and it made me excited for Christmas itself. They will be hilarious this year. Avery got a Tinkerbell movie and her own "lipstick" - and she went crazy with excitement. When she puts the lipstick on, she gets it from her nose to her chin - its hysterical. But she thinks she's big stuff!

I have a million pictures so will post a photobucket of them soon...

Lord have mercy....

...on my soul!!! WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER BOY! We are both definitely excited and I'm a little shocked! I think I'll spend the next 18 weeks praying for a mellow little guy!

We had our "big" ultrasound today and everything looked good and the baby is healthy. I got a glimpse into Avery's little head too - she thought we were going to the doctor so we could bring the baby home today...and when I tried to explain that we were just going to take some pictures of the baby and find out if it was a boy or a girl, she asked if she could just hold the baby for a minute before we came home! This is just such a mystery to her!

Chicken 'N Dumplins

Here is another yummy recipe. I made this last night for the first time and it was so good. Brent is a southern boy so this was right up his alley - and it was super simple (and used the crockpot) so it was right up mine as well! And perfect for a cool day....

Crock-Pot Chicken 'N Dumplins
3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp butter, melted
2 can low sodium cream of chicken soup
2 soup cans of water
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (12 oz) can refrigerated biscuits

Place chicken in Crock-Pot. In a bowl, combine butter, soups, water, and pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. An hour before serving, tear chicken with a fork into bite size pieces and add back to crockpot. Cut biscuits in half and add to crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 40-45 minutes or until biscuits are done in the center. Gently stir to cover dumplings with sauce.
*Your chicken can be frozen when you put it in the Crock-Pot.

Fall Leaves

Avery has been talking for weeks now about "jumping in the leaves..." We're not sure where exactly she learned about this small pleasure in life, but she has had it on her mind none-the-less. This weekend we were all home and the ground was fairly dry, so Brent spent a few hours raking leaves and the kids had a blast. Griffin watched Avery a few times before he dove in but they both ended up loving it!

Griffin even tried to do a little raking himself...

Asparagus Pasta with Toasted Pecans

This is a recipe that we eat pretty frequently and both really love. Its vegetarian but hardy because of the pecans....and I'm posting this per my hubby's request! (its one of his favs)

Asparagus Pasta with Toasted Pecans

16 oz pkg penne pasta
1 bunch fresh asparagus
2 TBSP olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 TBSP minced garlic
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 TBSP fresh basil - chopped
3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided
2 TBSP butter
1 cup pecan halves, toasted and divided

Prepare pasta according to pkg. Rinse and drain.
Snap/cut tough ends off asparagus and cut into 2 inch pieces.
Saute asparagus in hot oil over medium hear for 4 minutes.
Stir in red pepper and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp tender.
Stir in salt/pepper.
Toss together pasta, asparagus mixture, basil, 1/2 cup cheese, butter, and 1/2 pecans.
Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 cup pecans. Serve!

makes 6 servings

another picture

I forgot to add this picture....

Trip to Colorado

Brent and I joined Mom/Mike and Haley/Joel in Colorado Springs for a long weekend retreat. It was a marriage conference and parenting seminar sponsored by Focus on the Family. We stayed in a fancy hotel called the Broadmoor, ate wonderful food, heard some inspiring speakers, and enjoyed some time with family. It even snowed that last night we were there!

We went out for a nice dinner at one of the restaurants at the resort. It is a 5-star restaurant - and a really cool experience. It was little bit of a flashback to an old-school, old money type of place. There was live music and a dance floor with couples who actually knew how to dance! We ate incredible food and just enjoyed an entire evening together.

On Friday afternoon, we went to the Focus on the Family headquarters and took a behind the scenes tour. We had a great tour guide who shared a lot of personal stories and gave us an "insiders look" into the ministry there.

Focus has an absolutely incredible children's area. There is a 3 story slide, an old fashioned soda shop, dress up clothes with a stage to perform on, padded areas for toddlers, etc.

Brent actually got to sit in Dr. Dobson's seat where he does radio and television interviews!! How cool!

This was the first time in about 18 months that Brent and I had been away from both kids....and it was wonderful! Not that we didn't miss the little rugrats - but I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping all night, eating an entire meal while sitting down, not cooking those meals, taking a long leisurely shower, having complete conversations, and going potty by myself!!! Also, this was the first time in a long time that Brent and I were able to be "intentional" in our marriage and discuss new things and just spend time focusing on our relationship. It was a much-needed and much-appreciated trip!!!