Family Pictures!!

We got our family pictures done this week and I think they turned out pretty cute. We have to wait on Hannah to do some photoshopping on the big family pictures but I think the ones with our little family turned out pretty cute. I also liked a couple of the ones we took with all the girls...and Mason, he wanted to be in the girl pictures too.I know I look a little chubby but I promise I'm not pregnant. I have a few more pounds to lose from my belly. After seeing these pictures I am more motivated now.

I will try to get an update of our Thanksgiving and week with family sometime next week. Nate, Kirsta, and Colin are still in town so we are still busy having fun everyday.

Chicken Enchiladas

This is a meal my friend Katie's mom makes. She says it is the only thing her mom can cook well so it's pretty easy and it's really good.

Ingredients:
-Rice-A-Roni, Red beans and rice
-2 cups sour cream
-2 cups cooked, diced chicken
-Large can mild enchilada sauce
-burrito sized tortillas

Prepare box of rice-a-roni as directed. Add 2 cups of sour cream and 2 cups of diced chicken. Spray a large casserole pan and put some sauce on the bottom. Dip tortillas in some sauce, add filling and roll. Pour any extra sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese, bake 30 minutes at 350.

Putting these together can take a while and can be pretty messy but they are delicious! I haven't made them for a while because I ate them too much while I was pregnant and I needed a little break. They are starting to sound good right now though...

Creamy White Chili

I actually found this recipe on Kitchen Cafe so I'm sorry if you already have it. I love this stuff, it's a little spicier than I usually like, but it's so good that I don't mind. A guy who works with Brad came over for dinner when we were having it and forgot to tell me he was allergic to dairy (deathly allergic). After a couple of bites he asked me how you make chili white so I told him about the cream in it and he just stared at me. Luckily he only ate enough to keep him up sick all night and he didn't have to go to the hospital. He did say he thought the little he ate of it was delicious. Anyway, if you are allergic to dairy you probably shouldn't eat this because it has sour cream and whipping cream.

Creamy White Chili

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 in cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp oil
2 cans (15 1/2 oz each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies (I only use 1)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream (I use heavy whipping cream)

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired (I always do). Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips. Makes about 6 servings.

Donovan's new game

Yesterday, after Brad got home from work, I went to get some dinner (I was lazy and didn't want to cook dinner) and Brad stayed home to play with Donovan. Apparently he has figured out a fun new game. We have been working on cleaning up Donovan's toys before he goes to bed and having him help out. We usually have him put his toys in the toy bucket but I guess he had a different idea.


We also had Mason come over last night! Lenna and I had YW in Excellence to go to and Scott had to work so Bradley watched the boys. They watched Kung Fu Panda and Mason was a little upset when we got back. He wanted to play with Brad and take a bath.
I may not post for a little while, Brad's family is going to be coming to town this weekend so we will have a lot going on!

More tricks

Donovan has figured out how to climb almost any chair. If he sees a chair, he has to climb it. I have to watch him more closely because he can climb up our dining room chairs. If you don't already know, our dining room chairs spin so he climbs up and holds onto the table as he swivels back and forth. It actually scares me a little because he still has no fear and I have the feeling he is going to go head first off of one sometime soon.

Lenna sent me a text on Friday around 3:00 asking if we wanted to go to the zoo with her and Mason. Brad gets off at 2:30 on Fridays so he decided to go with us. It was freezing cold outside so it's a good thing there are so many indoor exhibits. We all had fun, especially Brad, he had fun with the Mongoose. Thanks for inviting us Lenna!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

My cousin's wife Heidi had the idea to post a recipe every Friday and I thought it was a great idea. It's so hard to think of meals sometimes. I know I am a day late, sorry Heidi!

This is a recipe from Brad's sister Lenna, it is DELICIOUS!

2 cups chicken broth
3 med. potatoes-peeled, cubed
2 green onions-trimmed, sliced
1/2 rib celery-minced
1/4 med. carrot-grated
2 tsp. distilled vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups milk mixed with 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
2-6 strips cooked bacon-crumbled

-Bring first 7 ingredients to boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
-Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-Whisk milk/flour mixture into saucepan; stir in cheese and bacon.
-Simmer, uncovered, 5-8 minutes, or until thick, stirring constantly.

Lenna's notes (that I follow): I usually double this for a pot of soup. I also usually use more potatoes than called for. I use precooked bacon and put 1/2 in when potatoes are cooking and the remainder when called for. I use whatever cheese I have on hand.

We usually have this with rolls or bread bowls. I love soup and this one is so good!

15 Month Check-up

We went in for Donovan's 15 month check up and shots. He weighed in at 26 lbs 6 oz and measured 32 1/2 in. He is in the 75th percentile for weight now but still in the 95th for height. I have been telling Brad he was slimming down but he didn't want to believe it. Now I have proof. He is still a solid boy but isn't quite as chunky. He did a good job and was very cute with Dr. Jones. Have I mentioned that we really like Dr. Jones? I think he will be one of the few things we miss about this place when we are gone...someday. I will also miss the doctor who delivered Donovan. If you are in Council Bluffs and need a good OBGYN, call Dr. Mark Potter, he is great. Anyway, Donovan got 4 shots today. It would have just been 3 but the Doc convinced us to do the flu shot. I don't think I ever got one and I never had the flu but doctors have a way of making the complications sound pretty scary. He said not to worry about getting one next year but recommended we get one this year to be safe. Donovan had a hard time while he was getting the shots. He started screaming after the first one, I felt the tears in my own eyes too. It's amazing how hard it is to see him in pain. He calmed down after he got a sucker and we came home and saw daddy. Bradley gave him a big hug and a kiss and then he was running around as usual. It's really nice to hear all the questions they ask about his development and be able to say yes to all of them. Donovan is right on track! I worry sometimes because he doesn't focus on one task very well. We rarely get through a whole book or take more than 5 minutes on one activity, but I guess that is normal! He is exploring the world around him like a normal 15 month old!

Crazy Cousins

Donovan got to play with Mason for a little while today and boy was he excited! They were being so funny. Even though they don't really play together, they like to have each other around. Every time Donovan would walk away, Mason would say "baby, come back". It was pretty stinkin cute. You will hear that and some screaming on Donovan's part in the video...you may want to turn the volume down just a bit. This is how Donovan acts around Mason, he gets so excited he doesn't know what else to do!

Mason spent most of his time on the Mickey car, which is fine with me! He was even dancing on it. He wouldn't let me get a video of his dance, but I got a cute picture.I also got Donovan in the middle of his head-banging move.Silly cute boys. We love spending time with Mason! He even gave me a hug while he was over here. He is such a sweet little boy! He is one of the few people Donovan will actually kiss, he usually just blows us kisses, but he will give Mason real kisses on the cheek. I hope Donovan enjoys his other cousins too. He gets to see some of them next weekend, hooray! Hannah, you are lucky, Donovan LOVES Lenna and you two look a little bit alike so he will probably warm up to you right away!

It's official

The IWCC soccer season is over. Both teams lost at the District Tournament. It's still an accomplishment for both teams to go though. While both teams have won the Region title and gone on to Districts at least once, they haven't won it in the same year.

To make everyone feel better about the losses, I will post some cute pictures and videos of Donovan. They made me happy.

Donovan with his big boy Strawberry Shortcake cup. He loves to bring me cups so I will fill them up with water. He is getting too big.Donovan likes to tickle everything now.

And he likes to pant like a dog.



Yes, he is cute, but he is also a little trouble maker. He has been a grumpy little boy today especially. We had to get up at 5:00 this morning to take Brad and Coach Bennett to the airport so they could meet up with the boys in Chicago, so we didn't get a whole lot of sleep and he wouldn't take a good nap. We are both a little grumpy which makes it a little worse. Brad is on his way home on the bus now and we are done with his weekend trips!! Hooray! We are sad about the teams not going to Nationals but we are happy that we are going to have our Bradley home more often!!!

Smart little boy

Donovan is such a little smartie pants, but he seems to have a one track mind. I told him to find his cow while we were in his room (meaning the puzzle piece in front of him) and he got up, went to the front room and got the cow puppet that he and Bradley play with. It was pretty cute so I tried to get him to do it again and he did!

Brad got home from Region on Sunday and left again this afternoon to Districts in St. Louis. He went with Bennett to help with the girls. Carver doesn't have to leave until tomorrow or Friday to Chicago with the boys. I wish I was going to Chicago! When Brad went to the District Tournament, while we were still playing, a bunch of girls followed. I think there were about 10 of us in one hotel room, maybe more. We drove into the city after we arrived and ate at The Cheesecake Factory for the first time. The next day we watched the boys and it was FREEZING. I miss those girls. It was a lot of fun, sometimes I miss those days but I wouldn't trade Donovan for ANYTHING!! Anyway, hopefully it goes by fast! We will get to have Brad home next weekend but the National Tournament is the week after. Good luck guys!!

Maybe a little naughty, but still helpful...sometimes...

Donovan and I had a little fun this weekend before Brad got home from the Region Tournament. He helped me keep the apartment clean for when Daddy came home. We played with bubbles in the kitchen, so he mopped them up for me. Then he decided to mop the whole apartment so I took off the wet pad and let him go nuts. We had fun playing with his toys but he has figured out how to move his toy bucket, and now he thinks he can get into the Wii equipment. Now we are constantly pulling him away from the area and letting him know he isn't supposed to go back there, hopefully it sinks in someday. Cute, but naughty little boy!

I-dub soccer update

For those of you who care, the men and women are both going to the District tournament! Hopefully they can both make it to Nationals. In just a couple of weeks we will have Bradley back during the weekends! Hooray!