I'm sorry Santa

Kayleigh was being a bit sassy about cleaning up her messes today. She did not hide her anger about having to clean up and Mommy not having to help. ;) She went upstairs (presumably to clean) and came down with this note a few minutes later.

K: This is for Santa. It says "I'm sorry for being mad, Santa." He brought me a scooter right?

Mommy: Yes. He brought you a scooter for Christmas last year.

K: Yes. He brought 2 scooters. One for me and one for Campbell. I want more presents, so I'm sorry Santa.

She then continues "reading" the note.

K: Santa please bring me a beach ball. And lots of toys please.

She is such a mess. We enjoy doing Santa at Christmas, but we don't really push him a lot. It is honestly the reason we don't do the 'Elf on the Shelf' bit. I don't think there is anything wrong with any of that, but I just want to keep the main thing the main thing. ;) We try to focus on Jesus being the 'reason for the season' and Jesus being the reason we make good choices and choosing to be kind and loving...and obedient ;) throughout the year. This child remembers everything and will randomly bring it up 6 months later. It was a good reminder for me that they are always listening and always taking things in. We must be sure to make sure we are teaching them the right things and keeping our focus on Him even when we don't think they are soaking it in.

Randomness

My girls won't flush!! I understand my daughters are California babies and this place has made us all a little crunchy, but they don't even follow the "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down." mantra. It's getting ridiculous...and embarrassing. If we have company, I have to run in the bathroom to flush before they can go in. Any tips on potty enforcement??

My dear husband is coming up with some....um...unique baby names. I didn't think he could top some of the names he suggested when I was pregnant with Campbell...but he has. I guess I should take comfort in the fact that we eventually agreed on names for the girls. He also refuses to discuss girl names. We aren't finding out the sex, so I guess I'm on my own if #3 is a girl. Yay for me or maybe yay for this potential baby girl...especially considering some of his suggestions. ;)

I have had a headache almost every single day this pregnancy. Coke and ice packs have been my best friend. Hopefully that means this baby is getting them out of the way now and will be a breeze to raise. Hopefully...

My cravings have hit an all time low. If bowls of peppercinis and bacon wrapped jalapenos weren't enough, I had to hunt down Andy Capp's Hot Fries. This baby is going to want straight habanero juice in a bottle.  The plus side is I am chugging tons of water to cool my mouth. Hopefully that makes up for the coke I've had to drink for the headaches.

 

We also got a new car...like a month ago, but the husband was not excited about putting it on blast, you know for the sake of his man card and all. We now own a Prius and a minivan. He gave up his Tundra and Harley for a Prius and a minivan. I think he feels less manly, but I just think he's an awesome Dad to make such sacrifices our family. And if I'm really honest, he loves it. My Yukon XL was killer on gas and kind of a pain to load the girls in and out of. I was dreading getting 3 kids in carseats up in there.  It is SOOO easy in my Odyssey, and I am loving the gas mileage. :) I never thought I'd be a minivan mom, but I'm also a comfort/convenience kind of girl, so I guess it's no big surprise.

 

And lastly, my little peanut loves music. She LOVES to dance and sing. Bless her heart. I hope she gets her voice from someone other than me...and maybe her Daddy too. ;) Lord knows I can't carry a tune in a bucket. 

 

Life in Pictures

These are just random iPhone pictures, but they'll give you an idea of life around here. 

Fun with letters. We are brushing up on a few that Kayleigh mixes up. :)

Holy 13.5 week belly! It's a bit tilted/distorted, but you get the picture. ;)

Typical day around here. Fun with our friends.

Random day at a park. Daddy is so fun!

My sweet baby girl. Who doesn't feel like a baby anymore. :(

#3

So this little peanut is the reason I've been so exhausted, nauseous and had such a cooking aversion...wait...had? Still do! Poor husband and children of mine. Every symptom I had with the girls has been magnified with this little one. I even threw up once! *GASP* Completely unlike me. I've also had more migraines than I care to think about. I used to brag that I had less when I was pregnant and what a blessing that was. Geesh...did I jinx myself or what?

Despite all the yuckiness and exhaustion, I feel so incredibly blessed to finally make it to my second trimester with a healthy little baby growing inside of me. When you go through a loss, and then another loss, and then yet another, especially with one being so late in the game, you have a whole new outlook on that positive pregnancy test. It was as though all my pregnancy innocence had been stripped away. Excitement was replaced with worries and anxiety and instead of getting attached to the baby growing inside of me, I tried to not get too attached to the idea of another baby to love. Each time as I tried to leave things in God's hands and ask Him to take away my worry, I still held on to a looming sadness if His plan for us didn't include another baby. Despite the sadness and pain of losing three babies, I am grateful for an even deeper appreciation for what a blessing a baby is, what a blessing this baby is. I no longer take for granted a good ultrasound, high HCG levels or a still positive pregnancy test. I am also even more grateful to God for allowing us this blessing along with our other beautiful girls. I hope that makes sense. I am also reminded often that we are already so blessed with two sweet girls. Many others struggle to conceive just one precious baby. What we've experienced is just hiccup compared to what others face daily.

So back to the fun details...baby is measuring right on track for my due date of January 6th. The heartbeat has been strong and steady every time. This ultrasound it was 160 beats per minute. The girls are so, so very excited about a new baby, though, they only want a sister. Occasionally, you can talk Campbell into saying boy, but for the most part, they want a girl party. I personally will be thrilled with a boy or a girl. So easy to please, aren't I? ;) Brett of course would be thrilled with a boy but knows he'll be just as much in love with a girl as he is with the two we've got. They LOVE their Daddy, and he's pretty much wrapped around their finger too.

The girls love to talk to the baby and give my belly kisses. Campbell likes to put her face up to my belly and say, "Baby come out and play!!" I keep telling her all the birthday and holidays and seasons that have to go by before the baby can come out, but well, she's 2 and she just doesn't get it. That and she's pretty tenacious and doesn't like to take no for an answer. ;) They are also quite insistent that they have a baby in their belly too. Well, that and that they want boobies. I told them once they have big boobies, we can start talking about having babies in their bellies. Oh my. I'm gonna have my hands full. All I know for sure is that this little baby is going to be very loved...and bossed around...and probably subjected to all sorts of dress-up and tea parties and oh my.

I also know that I am going to have to go shopping. Lots of shopping. My maternity clothes are well-worn, faded and some are even holey. Our baby clothes will all be the wrong season even if we do have a girl. And how many things could possibly be invented in less than 3 year? A TON! The baby business must be a big money maker. There is so much new stuff. Thank God for Dave Ramsey and getting our budget in order!

Although everything with #3 is looking great, we would absolutely appreciate any prayers for a healthy 6 more months and a healthy little baby in January (or December but I won't hold my breath).

Dinner Impossible

Dinner around here has been difficult lately...more on that later. Basically, there hasn't been much planning or sticking to any plan. It is summer. We've been outside, and we've been busy...among other things. Tonight I planned way ahead. I actually had the chicken thawed out and got a couple avocados out of the fridge to make sure they were nice and ripe. I still managed to require a trip to the grocery store when I discovered the lettuce was bad. The husband was thrilled because they had Rockstars on sale. Men are so easy to please.

My plan was to make these delicious looking buffalo chicken tacos from a blog of another Coastie wife (who makes absolutely amazingly decorated cookies...check them out!) We start cooking. Yes, we...God bless him for pitching in so much in the kitchen lately. The girls love to be in the ktichen too, so it was a family effort. Everything is smooth sailing until he asks how many tortillas are left in the bag. I open the bag and say "Three...er that's one's moldy..........oh wait, they are ALL moldy!" Brett who has maxed his patience with my lack of cooking tells me I need to run back to the store. I should mention he's been doing all the grocery runs too. Today was the first day I had gone, and I was not going back. Not happening. I start suggesting nachos, and he exits the kitchen and tells me to figure it out. ;) The chicken is cooked (per her delicious recipe), the toppings are chopped, and we have no tortillas. I debated nachos or a salad. I love a good salad, so I started tossing things together. It turned out to be amazing...sheer and utter heaven in your mouth. When I served Brett's plate and he took a bite, he conceded that it was a blessing in disguise because dinner was so delightful. So if you are looking for a delicious salad, which we especially love during the summer, give this a spin. Forgive the lack of measurements. It's better when you wing it anyway, right? If you want more specific directions for the chicken, see the link to her taco recipe.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

1 1/2-2 lbs of chicken breasts chopped into bite-sized pieces (We happened to have tenders, so that's what we used.)
A cup or so of self-rising flour (A/P flour would be fine too.)
3 or 4 T of cornstarch
Garlic powder to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt/Pepper
Canola Oil
Frank's Red Hot Sauce


Put a few T of oil in a pan on the stove and heat. Chop your chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. Salt and pepper the chicken. Mix the flour, cornstarch, garlic powder and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and cook in the oil until cooked through. Remove the chicken and coat in enough Frank's hot sauce to coat the chicken bites. (If you have small children, don't forget to set some aside.)


Lettuce (Iceberg or Romaine)
Tomatoes diced
Green onions diced
Avocado diced
Fresh lime juice
Blue cheese crumbles
Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing (We used yogurt Ranch.)


Take your salad bowl and start fixin'. Pile the lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, avocado and buffalo chicken bites. Squeeze a bit of lime on top. Top with blue cheese crumbles and your dressing. 

Pretty darn quick and delicious. Can't beat that. Don't you love when dinner just goes right? I sure do. In case you are wondering, our kids normally like and eat salad. Since it was a bit spicy, I just fixed them a plate with the chicken bites, tomatoes with salt and pepper, raw baby carrots, apple slices and the yogurt ranch dressing on the side to dip. They always eat what we eat for dinner or some version. No short order cooks in this house. ;) I'm always surprised what they devour.

After dinner, the girls drank their milk on a "train" with Daddy. He's the best. <3  Excuse the grainy picture. There wasn't much light, and it may be a bajillion years before I get a camera upgrade with amazing ISO capabilities...but that's just fine as long as I've got these three to smile for whatever camera's in my hand. ;)

Anniversary, crazy kids and life.

Brett and I celebrated our 6th anniversary this past Sunday. We had a perfect day. The first few years of our marriage we did a lot of growing. A lot. Like a lot, a lot. ;) We are both very passionate and very stubborn, and we don't always think things through, especially the big decision anyway (a bit counter-intuitive huh?). We just go with our gut and our heart. We were engaged just 3 months after we started dating and married just 9 months later. We have gone through our life together since them much the same way. We make a decision and make it work. Doesn't work for everyone, but it works for us. Making the decision to marry that Coastie that lived a few states away who wouldn't stop calling me was the best decision I ever made. We've made it through some rough patches, and we've had a lot of amazing blessings and some unforgettable memories too.

We both agreed that we've never been more in love and never been happier in life, in spite of the icky stuff we all have in our lives. We have so very much to be thankful and a whole lot to look forward to. I'm so glad we are on the same page about the direction of our future because it sure is fun dreaming together. I can picture life in a simple white house (with a pool for Brett of course) with chickens (and who knows what other animals...if you've met his Papa Jack you'd know why. He's just like him.) and a big, huge garden. One day. In the meantime, I'm so happy to be by his side exploring this world together, living in new and exciting places and raising two beautiful girls.

Thank you Brett for making me be a better person, for teaching me how to be more patient and more kind, and for giving me this wonderful life at home raising our girls. You have such a gift with people, and I can only hope that it will rub off on me a little. I admire you, and I love you. Hoping we've got at least another 60 years together. 

This is the first picture I saw of Brett. Ha! He looks so, so young. This is the crazy boy I fell in love with. <3

We spent the day in Napa and Sonoma just driving around and stopping whenever we saw something fun. We had the girls with it, and it was a perfect family day complete with window shopping, playground fun in the Sonoma town square, duck watching, driving and enjoying the sights, and even a visit to a vineyard V. Sattui is very, very family friendly if you wanted to know. There is perfect picnic areas, a self-guided tour and a nice variety of food and gifts. They even have a cookout on the weekends with BBQ oysters. Yum! We ventured home to beat the Nascar race traffic (and let little monster get a nap). We had one of our favorite, quick, easy meals for dinner and just relaxed in the backyard for the rest of the day. (If you've never tried lemon garlic pasta, do it now. It is heavenly. And more importantly easily.)

A chocolate milk break in Sonoma Square

Yum! A rare chocolate milk treat. :)

Fun during "school"

Other than our anniversary, we've been busy this June...saying goodbye to friends, celebrating Father's Day, preparing for our move next year with a massive garage sale and just enjoying summer. The girls are keeping me busy, and we are continuing school during the summer. Kayleigh and Campbell have made HUGE progress in school, and it is so fun to watch them learn and play. We've got a lot more fun things planned this summer with friends. We are trying to explore everything we can our last year here. We still have SO much to do. How is that possibly when we've been here 5 years already? Oh yeah, there is endless things to do here AND we had little babies...that are growing up...to fast! I'll post more pictures and stories about our summer adventures soon. So far we've struck out. We went with friends to the Discovery Museum, which is the most amazing kid museum ever, last Monday. We were so happy that we were there early before it was crowded. Well, that would be because it was closed. Ha! We went to a park instead, but I will definitely use my friend Google before we take off next time.

One last little story for you before I need to get dinner ready (and by that I mean pull out the leftovers...poor husband). I went to the bathroom last night before going to sleep to take out my contacts. I notice Campbell's door wide open, so I start to look for her. She is no where in her room... no where in her sister's room...I start to panic. I wake Brett up to help me find her. I hear him laughing in Kayleigh's room, and he is looking under Kayleigh's bed at little Campbell curled up on the hardwood floors in Lily's favorite spot. She was being very sneaky and quiet and gave Brett a big smile when he found her. This was a 10 o'clock at night...2 hours after she had gone to bed. We might have to watch out for her, oh for say the next 15 years. She has also decided that she doesn't like naps, so she pitches a fit...unless you put her pillow on the floor and she can nap there on her rug. I guess she's a minimalist. Whatever works right?

Kayleigh is FOUR!

 

I did a quick interview to remember her thoughts at this age. My sweet, sensitive, caring, strong-willed little girl is growing oh so fast. She is my snuggle bug and the most wonderful big sister. She likes to make sure everyone is loved and taken care of. She is learning so much at this age and picks up on EVERYTHING. She can spell her name and write it. She has most of the alphabet down by sight and is doing quite well with writing. She loves to paint and "read" to her sister. She loves movies, playing outside, taking pictures (behind the lens), playing Angry Birds on Daddy's iPad, picking out her own outfits (she's gotten quite good at matching), her best friend Kelsey, her Ellie, the pool, ballet and snuggling with Mommy. She is fascinated with moving as many friends have moved this year and she knows we will be off to somewhere new next year. She can't wait and wants to go now! ;) As you can see from her answers, she loves hanging with her sister and her best friend. <3 I can't imagine my life without her and I am so very thankful for our already close bond. Happy birthday Kayleigh Bug!

I first asked her to recite her name: Kayleigh Lane Bonner

How old are you? Four

What is your favorite color? Pink

Who is your best friend? Kelsey

Favorite Animal: An elephant

What do you want to be when you're all grown up? Like Daddy

What is your favorite movie? Beauty and the Beast

What is your favorite book? Princess book (She has a Princess booked which has a recording of Nana & JB reading the book to her. She LOVES it.)

What makes you happy? Kelsey playing with me

What makes you sad? When I can't play with Kelsey

What is your most favorite food to eat? Target popcorn

What is your favorite song to sing? Twinkle Little Star

What games do you like to play? Stamps (She got a new stamp set from Uncle Jared and Aunt Nicole for her birthday.)