Been a bit busy lately...

We have had 7 visitors off and on for the last week and a half so I have been somewhat distant from the computer lately. Our friend, Adam, came down last week for the weekend and stayed with us and then another friend of his in town. We had some of our Michigan friends, Tim and Shea and their four kids staying with us as well. Needless to say, we have had a very busy household! And I had the kids' birthday party on Saturday as well. Whew! I can't believe JJ is three and Maddie one already!

Happy Easter Everyone!

Four

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Landscaper
2. Computer Fixer
3. Customer Service at Amazon.com
4. Abercrombie & Fitch retail

Four movies I would watch over and over (or have watched over and over)
1. Office Space
2. Napolean Dynamite
3. Pretty Woman
4. Grease

Four TV shows that I watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. The Office
3. Brother's and Sister's
4. The Unit

Places I've been
1. London
2. Paris
3. Fargo, ND
4. Montgomery, AL

Four people who email [or call] me regularly:
1. Mom
2. Dana
3. Shea
4.

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Ruby Red Grapefruit
2. Strawberries
3. Steamed Broccoli
4. Chocolate Milk

Four places I would like to be right now:
1. In Michigan with friends and family
2. In bed sleeping
3. At the beach
4. Getting a massage

Four things I am looking forward to this year:
1. Visitors(they start arriving this weekend!)
2. Getting back to the gym(or at least in shape doing something at home)
3. John getting home from his deployment he hasn't even left for yet!
4. The summer time---It's almost here!

Other Goings Ons :)

Maddie, our little climber with a neighbor friend not far behind her!
I took the kids to an Easter egg hunt on Saturday. Needless to say it was a bit on the cold side.

Weird sleeping places?

JJ always seems to find weird places to sleep....

Early Birthday Present

JJ and Maddie got an early birthday present this weekend! It took John all weekend to put it together but it is well worth it. JJ doesn't stop asking to go outside and play!

Exploration Place

We have been going to the children's museum quite often here since I bought a year pass a couple of months ago. The kids love it! Just thought I would share some pictures since it has been a few days since I gave you an update. Maddie is walking almost all the time now. JJ is struggling with taking a nap or not taking a nap. Other than that we have been enjoying our beautiful weather this week.

Maddie's got the hang of walkin'

Maddie started walking over the weekend. Watch out JJ!

Going Green

Thanks SE for mentioning your reusable grocery bags. I meant to ask where you got them, but then I went to the Commissary yesterday and they have them on sale there! I figure I'll just buy a few at a time. Their only .70 each. I feel so much better using these because I have this huge stock of plastic bags under the sink and hate to throw them away.

These green bags are actually pretty handy!

Projects as of Late

I had made JJ letters for his room when we lived in SA, so I decided to finally make Maddie some letters for her room. JJ's are quite boring, just blue.

And I finally found something to do with all the t-shirts I made John purge from his drawers last year. Too bad I made him get rid of them! I made him scrounge for more when I found this new project to make a crocheted rag rug. This took me 10 t-shirts!!! It's about 28 inches in diameter.

Soccer

Here is JJ playing soccer last Friday. It is his favorite sport! We had GREAT weather this weekend so we got to play lots of soccer.

Yum!

I recieved my Taste of Home magazine in the mail this past week and found a few recipes that sparked my interest. The first one I made on Friday night. It was called Mushroom Asparagus Quiche submitted by Sharon Fujita. It was one of the best dinners we have had in a long time. Not to mention it was meatless and I have a hard time with meatless dinners!

Here is the recipe:

1 Tube Crescent Rolls (I used the low fat ones)

2 tsp prepared mustard

1.5 lbs fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1.5 in pieces

1 med onion, chopped

1/2 c sliced fresh mushrooms

1/4 c butter ( I used just a couple Tablespoons)

2 eggs

2 c shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 c minced fresh parsley (I omitted this as i didn't have it)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder (I always add extra garlic!)

1/4 tsp each dried basil, oregano, and rubbed sage

Separate crescent dough into eight triangles; place in an ungreased 9-in pic plate with points toward the center. Press onto the bottom and up the sides to form a crust; seal perforations. Spread with mustard and set dish aside.

In a large skillet, saute asparagus, mushrooms and onions in butter until aspargus in crisp-tender. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingrediants; stir in asparagus mixture. Pour into crust.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 min or until a knife inserted near the edge comes clean. Let stand 5 min before cutting. Yields 6-8 servings (but who are we feeding here? try 4-5 :)

Climbing and Underwear

Maddie has started to climb things: the stairs, the step stools, the potty chair, and now the little rocking chair! And JJ has been wearing his underwear hear and there, but not just on his head!

The Bug

So after so many half sleepless nights, I finally caught The Bug. Ya know, the one everyone else has been getting lately. I started feeling crappy last night and woke up today feeling even worse. John had to fly last night so he didn't get home until after midnight. I had to wake him this morning just to go to the store for some Thereflu, chicken noodle soup, Sprite, and my favorite chocolate milk. OK, that last one doesn't really make your ickies go away, but it tastes good and right now that is all that counts. In fact, I didn't even have to ask for the chocolate milk. He was sweet enough to know that I LOVE it! So now that he is off to work, I am stuck here with two kids and all I want to do is lay on the couch all day. Yuck.

Cody, Codes, C-Dog, Chubbers

Those are just a few of the names we have for Cody. Recently we found out Cody has Right-Sided Heart Failure. Basically the right side of his heart does not pump the blood like it should, causing the fluid to back up in his kidneys(I think) and then they overflow into his abdomen. So he has a bloated belly. We have him on something that is taking away the water retention and are starting him on a special diet food, which I am sure he will just love. The vet had initially suggested we take him to a vet school over 2 hours away, but that is just not doable for us. He isn't uncomfortable, except for the water retention which will hopefully soon be gone. We will just have to keep a closer eye on him as time goes on.
Yesterday, he got shaved and the weather decided to get a little chilly today, a mere 22 with a windchill of 5. So I found a baby turtleneck of JJ's that fits Cody to help keep him warm. Even in our 70 degree house the poor dog was shivering!

Maddie's 10 Month Pictures

NKOTB Anyone??????

If you were raised in the 90's then you should know who I am talking about! They are staging a comeback. *Shriek* I was so in love with Joey! You can read about it here.

Do You Need Your Monitor Cleaned?

Then you need to click on this link

She's Taking Steps!!!!!!

Maddie isn't realizing that she is standing by herself because she is too interested in the Wendy's Frosty on her spoon! I saw her standing by herself last night and thought I would see how she did today. Lo and behold she took some steps! I told my sister she would walk this week just because daddy is out of town.

Peekaboo Maddie