Boy or Girl?

Tomorrow morning I will go in for my ultrasound not only to check to see how the baby is doing but to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. I don't have a feeling either way, Kurtis and I are mostly concerned to hear that the baby is healthy. But it is a nice perk to be able to learn more about our little one.

I have friends that have decided to wait to find out but not us, no way! I think it's fabulous that we can have the opportunity to get to know our little one a little more even as he/she is in my belly. We have always chosen the names of our kids soon after the ultrasound so we can refer to them by name. I enjoy the attachment stuff that's able to begin as a result. Note: if you are one of these said friends, take no insult. I don't think there is anything wrong with choosing the surprise route, just not for me. ;)

When we had Zoe I think it was also great for Malachi to begin to prepare for a sister and call her by name. I thought it was helpful for him in his brotherly bonding as well. Speaking of Malachi, when asked what this baby is he has given the same response from the beginning..."It's a girl." When asked if he wants a brother or sister he responds..."I want a brother." Quite intriguing how his three year old mind works that he makes that distinction. :)

So tomorrow we shall see. I will post and let others know after we find out. When we choose a name, I suspect that will be posted as well. Then not only can we be praying for our little one by name, so can all of you! :) For now, our prayer is that whether a he or she this baby is healthy, strong and thriving.

Hi my name is Pamela and...

I'm addicted to allrecipes.com

Seriously, I think I could spend hours looking up yummy new recipes to try. Kurtis finds it amusing that I will make something tasty and then possibly not make it again just because I am so busy trying other new and exciting recipes.

So you know our crazy, huge tomato? The one I thought would make some delicious pico de gallo. Well, I used it instead to make a vegetarian version of this recipe...yummy! I had enough for the vodka cream sauce, the fresh tomato chopped up was an excellent replacement for the canned tomatoes if I can be so bold :), and more to top our salad. I sliced up our squash and tore up our kale and skipped the Italian sausage (cause I didn't have any). I also didn't have heavy whipping cream so I used half and half with a teaspoon of cornstarch (thanks for the tip from VBHOKIE). The reviews are a favorite part for me, they have helped me break out of that "I have to do exactly what it says" mentality. And about those reviews, it is nice to order them by 'most helpful' to get some of the best tips. We enjoyed it with these breadsticks that Malachi and I made earlier in the day, another new favorite food blog I have been devouring lately that you should check out.

So what have you been cooking up lately and where do you go to find inspiration and new recipes? And, I'm always game to try a new recipe so if you have a favorite don't be shy, share the recipe! :)

Spoils from our Garden!

Malachi helped me picked some things from our garden this morning: kale, tomatoes, chili peppers and summer squash.

Here is our crazy tomato! It looks like three large tomatoes that grew together, plus the little afterthought green one on top. I'm thinking some yummy pico de gallo is in our future.

My little readers

This morning I caught Malachi and Zoe quietly sitting near each other reading books. This is very common for Malachi, but Zoe is just recently having more enjoyment in books. I love it!!Note the upside down book :)

16 Months

Took this yesterday when Zoe woke from her nap. Typical scene, she puts her pacifier in (upside down) in an effort to tell me that she wants to take it with her out of the crib. She is now weaned from breastfeeding, it's been a whole 3 days :), and our next step will be getting rid of the pacifier completely. She is growing up so fast!
A few things about our Zoester...
Loves to put dirty clothes in the laundry basket and understands and follows most simple directions. Does not have very many words yet but still is able to communicate her desires. Loves to laugh and play with her big brother. Enjoys dancing to music. Affectionate...yet has a bad habit of pinching that we're working on. Fun loving and a pure joy! What a blessing she is!

grow garden, grow!

we got back from TX and were so excited to see how much our garden had grown (thank you Nicks for taking care of it for us!)

we have anaheim chili peppers, kale, summer squash, tomatoes, basil, oregano and bell peppers

I am most excited about the tomatoes. I love tomatoes! My mouth waters thinking about home grown tomatoes with a little salt sprinkled on top.

Trip to Texas

We spent two weeks at the beginning of this month in Texas. We had a wonderful time with my parents and sister's family. I didn't take as many photos as I should have, I had morning, or rather all day, sickness and had very little energy. Thankfully my mom and sister both can relate and were wonderful to let me relax and rest on the couch for the majority of the time. The cousins played and we just enjoyed being together. Oh how I wish we lived down the street from them and Grandma and Grandpa!

two peas in a pod. they did a great job playing together...most of the time. :)my beautiful niece. we were able to be there to celebrate her 9th birthday!

my oldest nephew is always thinking. he was always working on something, building something, reading or figuring something out. one day he is going to be famous for discovering something important I'm sure!the littlest nephew. quite a personality and such a doll. he quickly learned to stay clear of zoe and her nose tweaking habit which we are still working on breaking her of.

the car that malachi could not get enough of. the cousins were very good at sharing!we also got to see our dear friends, the ishams, who moved to texas was it 4 years ago? thanks for driving out to spend the day with us!