Protein Power!

Written by kelly on December 14th, 2011

I’ve been strongly urged to eat a high protein diet these days. Since we don’t eat a ton of meat around here and I’m still the same cheapy-cheap-o, I haven’t been eating steak each night. BUT I have discovered two new favorite ways to enjoy quinoa! Here they are:

Quinoa Hash:

1 cup quinoa, cooked
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 handful mushrooms, chopped
4-5 leaves of kale, stem removed and chopped

Sautee the onion and garlic. Add the mushrooms and sautee until soft. Add the kale and a splash of water. Cook until the kale is bright green. Add the quinoa. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

What? Not enough protein? Add an egg!

Prefer something sweeter?

Quinoa Porridge:

1/2 Cup cooked quinoa
2 Tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
6 dried apricots, chopped
Milk and cinnamon to taste.

Cook the quinoa. Put it in a bowl and top with the almonds and apricots. Pour milk and cinnamon over the top. Enjoy!

Posted in 2.0, Cooking, baby | 3 Responses »

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Written by kelly on December 12th, 2011

Thanksgiving came and went with a whirlwind of activity and fun. We had new flooring installed in the kitchen the day before Thanksgiving, which made for a very full week. We were blessed to have our family here with us to share in the feast and enjoyed some really delicious food together! We’re not bad cooks, it turns out!

The day after Thanksgiving, we once again participated in our traditional treck downtown and saw the Christmas trees, gingerbread houses and tree lighting. Beatrice did not take a nap that day and to distract her while waiting in line, we let her have her first candy: a candy cane!  She LOVES them!

And we’ve been doing some other fun things to celebrate the Christmas season. Christmas tree hunting:

Trimming the tree:

Riding a horse-drawn carriage:

Making decorations:

Visiting Christmas light displays:

All this and we’ve still got two weeks until Christmas! It’s been a delight to see hear Beatrice singing Christmas songs and carols and to watch her learn more about the traditions of Christmas (she caught on especially quickly to the fact that men dressed as Santa generally give out candy cane treats!).

Posted in Beatrice, family, fun, holiday | 2 Responses »

First Haircut. Or, Bye-bye Mullet

Written by kelly on December 11th, 2011

We were eating dinner last weekend and I looked over at our sweet girl and saw this:

“She looks like she’s being raised by wolves!” I exclaimed. Jonathan assured me that she did not, in fact, look like a homeless person or someone who lives in the wild, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. Our baby’s locks were out of control. I’d trimmed her bangs and yet it was still unmanageable at times and the wild look she was sporting pushed me over the edge. I grabbed the scissors, a towel, safety pin and the laptop computer. I told Beatrice she was going to get to wear a special cape and that she could see Minnie Mouse on the computer. As it turns out, Minnie Mouse is enough to keep her still! I pulled her hair into a ponytail, took a deep breath, and made the cut!

After four minutes of snipping and trimming, she no longer carries the glorious mullet of her youth. However, she doesn’t seem to mind and it is much easier for us to manage!

She also enjoyed sitting in the sink and taking photos with Daddy and Momma. We liked that part, too.

Hair grows back and for now, Beatrice has a cute little bob, in which she still tries to clip as many bows as possible some days. And I think I’m going to hang up my scissors and let a professional handle the job next time! Ha!

Posted in Beatrice | 2 Responses »

32 Weeks

Written by kelly on December 10th, 2011

We are getting close to the end of this pregnancy! Oh boy. I don’t know how we’re going to manage with two little ones in the house, but we sure are excited to meet our sweet baby. This week’s photo was taken just before we left for Jonathan’s company Christmas party. I like this dress, but it took two strategically placed safety pins to ensure I didn’t have a wardrobe malfunction at the event!

At this point, things are really starting to um, relax (thanks, relaxin!) and I sometimes try to go from sitting to standing and feel a bit like my hips will come out of joint. It’s all very silly, really. So far, I’m still feeling well and little 2.0 seems to be doing the job of growing and squirming. Bring on the late-pregnancy fat face, the aches, the heartburn, the leg cramps! Every symptom brings us closer to full-term! I was hoping to avoid the fat face this time, but with the amount of water I consume each day, it seems this will be inevitable. At least it’s not forever! Little 2.0, we have so much to be thankful for and you are one of those things! Keep growing! We love you!

Posted in 2.0, baby | 1 Response »

30 Weeks

Written by kelly on November 26th, 2011

We have made it to the thirties! Hooray and Praise the Lord!

At 30 weeks, 2.0 is estimated to be around 3lbs or the size of a head of cabbage.  So far, 2.0 seems to be growing at just the right pace, though measuring larger than Beatrice did at this stage. Since she was 8lbs, 12oz at birth, I’m not expecting to have a tiny baby. We’ll see!

30 Weeks!

We are very excited to meet you, Little One! You don’t have a name yet, but we’re working on that. For now, 2.0 and Newbie seem to be sticking. We’ll make sure that isn’t the official name on your birth certificate though, okay? You seem to have a keen sense of hearing and especially enjoy it when you can hear your Daddy or Sister talk. You either love or hate the sound of the mixer (your sister loves it because she knows it’s a sign that treats are coming. I’m pretty sure you’ll join her ranks soon!). You have moved into the head down position, which means your little feet are right under my ribs. In the mornings, you like to try to roll around a bit and use my ribs for leverage. You are strong and I love it! I am so very thankful for each little kick that I feel and your Daddy loves to watch you move! Your sister has started to ask to hold you, which means she lifts up my shirt and puts her hand right under my belly button. Then she gives you a kissy. You are one loved baby! I’ve got your clothes all sorted and ready to be laundered and things like diapers and bath soap are ready and waiting for you. Keep growing in there! We’re not in a hurry! You are just a miracle and we are thankful that the Lord continues to do His great work in your life!

And in other news, I had my hair cut today. I’m so glad to have it a little shorter and more styled!

Posted in 2.0 | 1 Response »

Happy Thanksgiving!

Written by kelly on November 24th, 2011

As you are probably aware, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the food, the football, the Thanksgiving Day parade, the leftovers, and having our house all warm and toasty from the combination of heat from the kitchen and many people around the table! Happy Thanksgiving to you!

I’d also like to share the following two crafts which Beatrice made at school last week. I can’t believe how fast she’s growing! She’s a big fan of turkey meat and has been talking about it for the last few days. Bring on the turkey!

Posted in Beatrice, Uncategorized, holiday | 1 Response »

She sings!

Written by jonathan on November 15th, 2011

Our little girl is reaching that wonderful stage where she begins to develop a rich imaginary life. It’s kind of amazing to watch: her mind always seems to be running through stories and songs and her toys are coming to life now; she narrates their lives as though she is reading a book (“‘I like carrots’, Ducky says!”). She will wander through the house singing pieces of a song (or sometimes pieces of several songs!) to herself as she goes.

When Beatrice first started singing she would sometimes sing notes but mostly she was so excited to be remembering the words that she just shouted the lyrics at the top of her voice. Adorable! Now that she’s more comfortable with her songs, she will often sing along to the actual tune of the song. Here she is singing The Itsy Bitsy Spider with me:

Needless to say, I sort of melted with joy when she started doing this. Music is a big part of our family. I have a little corner for my instruments and Kelly has a beautiful voice and is always singing in the house. We love seeing little Bea joining in the fun! Here she is accompanying herself on the piano (with just a little help from Daddy):

Posted in Beatrice, video | 3 Responses »

First Day!

Written by kelly on November 7th, 2011

One of our dear friends, Erin, recently moved to the East Coast and we miss her already! Today is her first day at her new job and we hope she has a great day!

Here’s a group photo from our little going away dinner:

We miss you and we’re really proud of you! We are praying that today is the first day of a great job with new challenges and friends and more than anything that you know the Lord is right there with you all day long!

Posted in friends | No Responses »

October Recap

Written by kelly on November 5th, 2011

October was a busy month!

We took a family roadtrip to Chico, CA. Beatrice did a great job in the car! Naturally, we’d stocked up on activities, books and a portable DVD player and of course, one of her favorite items to play with was a crumpled paper towel.

Paper towel!

We stayed in a hotel and attended the wedding of our friends, DJ and Ashley. The wedding was beautiful, but Beatrice and I did not stay in the sanctuary for long. When the candles were being lit, Beatrice began singing “Happy Birthday” in her loudest voice. It was both adorable and completely embarrassing! We read some books in the narthex area and when it was time for the congregational hymn, we went back inside and sat with Jonathan. After the ceremony, we headed to their beautiful reception and enjoyed some fun with old and new friends, a delicious meal and dancing! Congratulations, DJ and Ashley! We’re so happy for you and glad that we were able to witness your entering into marriage!

The happy newlyweds!

The next day, we drove home and were very glad to sleep in our own beds!

October also brought a change in weather around here and we were able to enjoy our first family trip to the pumpkin patch. Beatrice wasn’t as excited about the pumpkins as she was about the farm animals and gourds, but it was a great day to be outside together and a fun memory. She selected one gourd for each of us and we’ve had fun using them as decorations inside.

We like pumpkins!

We were also able to be present for the baptism of the baby of our friends, Mike and Julianna. Once again, Beatrice was a source of embarrassment and joy as she yelled “Amen!” like a Southern Baptist during the prayer and started to sing “Happy Birthday” with the lighting of candles. Thankfully, Julianna’s family is very forgiving and her presence wasn’t seen as a nuisance. It’s a blessing for us to be part of joyous occasions such as these!

Baby C's baptism

The biggest milestone for the month was the night away that Jonathan and I were able to share. Our friends, Carrie and Dan (and Frankie!) stayed at our house with Beatrice and we were able to have a nice date night out and stay the night at a local bed and breakfast. We had a great time! Dinner was delicious and my goal for the night was to take a bath, read a book and have a cup of tea and I got to do all three at once! Yay! Beatrice didn’t seem to skip a beat, which was great. She had a great time with Carrie and Dan, enjoyed having pizza for dinner and showed off her new skill: twirling!

Two well-rested parents!

We celebrated Jonathan’s 31st birthday three times this year! It was great! We had family over for a dinner comprised of all of his favorites: spicy maple-glazed pork tenderloin, quinoa dinner rolls, roast brussels sprouts, roast red potatoes, cherry pie. It was really nice to have everyone together for a meal! We went to dinner at a German restaurant with the Eske-side of the family later that week and for Jonathan’s actual birthday, we had sushi!  Beatrice mostly ate sushi rice from our rolls and potstickers, but she had a great time with the teeny-tiny plates.

Mmm Sushi!

The end of the month was Halloween and Beatrice chose to be a dinosaur (I know, I thought she’d pick duck too!). She really liked her costume and we had lots of fun just putting her in it around the house for some giggles. We went to a “trunk or treat” event at my parents’ church (the one in which I grew up). She had a great time seeing everyone in costume, but she was not interested in any of the carnival games. Once we were outside, she liked seeing the decorated vehicles, but she was more interested in splashing in the puddles than collecting candy.

Splashy! Splashy!

We participated in trick-or-treating at Jonathan’s office on Halloween. I was a little nervous that she wouldn’t catch on with the concept of collecting candy since my coaching her resulted in her holding out her bucket and saying things like, “Say hi to my pumpkin bucket?” Once we got to the office and she saw the bowls of candy, she set to work! Sadly, she was mostly drawn to Baby Ruth (is it the packaging?) and it took some coaching to get her to put peanut butter cups into her bucket, but she figured out that trick-or-treat is fun! Mostly, she liked the decorations and it was definitely a highlight for her to get her very own plastic spider ring!

Posted in Beatrice, family, fun | No Responses »

Zaycon Foods Chicken

Written by kelly on October 19th, 2011

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to pick up 40lbs of chicken breast from Zaycon Foods. Zaycon Foods has incredible “one day” deals for things like chicken breast or other meats.  Now, we do not eat chicken everyday or even every week, so 40lbs of chicken would last us a very long time. Thankfully, I was able to enlist the help of two other families to share the load! The chicken is fresh and butterflied, so there is a bit of work to get it to what I would use for everyday cooking.

We picked up the chicken and it was placed into our car in a tidy little box. I didn’t have to lift anything! YAY! I was feeling pretty good about things. It wouldn’t take forever to get it packed up and ready. In fact, it looked smaller than I’d expected:

Not so bad

Since I’m a bit of a paranoid preggy-pants, I decided that carrying 40lbs of chicken was not in my best interest. I’m glad to have a swell brother in-law who is willing to come over during the day to help out! Thanks Patrick!

Once inside, we opened the box and found this:

Inside the box!

After the three of us worked for a bit, we ended up with 28 chicken breasts. Not bad! I made my current fave for dinner that night: chicken parmigiana (with alphabet pasta! Beatrice chose, naturally).  After dinner, I got to work preparing the chicken into portions that we’d use regularly. I cut the chicken into chunks/cubes, strips and cutlets. All in all, I ended up with chicken for 11 meals, plus the dinner we ate “fresh” that day.

Foodsaver to the rescue!

And thanks to my Grandpa’s wonderful wedding gift to us, that chicken doesn’t take up much room at all in our freezer:

Packed away

The chicken does have great flavor and it was an incredible value (only $1.49/lb!), but 40lbs of chicken is a bit much for this little family. I like a good bargain as much as the next person, but I think the next “great deal” we get on a massive amount of food will have to be something we eat more frequently, like chickpeas!

Posted in Cooking, family, friends | 2 Responses »

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