In between the rain

The last couple days have been nothing but rain. I miss my Florida sunshine. We keep scrambling to find things to do, but with an almost two year old, it can be pretty tricky to keep him entertained. On sunny days we have plenty to do: we play in our backyard, we go to the beach, we go to the park, and countless other fun outdoor activities. But since we are stuck inside all day we are sticking to watching movies. I wish we had more indoor playgrounds or fun places to take a toddler to on rainy days. But since we live in sunny Florida, most everything is outdoors. I almost cried when I looked at the weather forecast and saw that it is expected to rain for the rest of the week. Not only for Roman's sake but for mine. I always feel so blah on these kinds of days. I thrive in the sun! I think when Malachi and I settle down somewhere it is going to have to be somewhere that is warm and sunny all year round! When Roman wakes up from his nap I may let him play outside if it isn't storming or raining too hard. Who says a little rain isn't good for you???

I shot a wedding last week so none of my pictures are edited
 

Longingly looking outside (and ewwww...please ignore my dirty windows that I am off to clean RIGHT now!)


Snuggling with Daddy

In other news, I am 26 weeks pregnant today! Adelai is now around 2 pounds...they say she is around the size of an eggplant. My pregnancy calendar told me I am 2/3s done with this pregnancy. Which is insane! I just found out we were pregnant like....yesterday! Where is all this time gone? This time around time is going by a lot faster, but it is probably because I am chasing a 22 month old around all the time. I am so glad that my first pregnancy was the easy one and this one is the harder one. If my first one was hard I think I would have sat around and moped all the time. But with Roman I have no time to think about the pain or how sick I feel. I have to be strong for him. It is amazing how having children makes you a harder-working person.

Gah! I love him so much!


He has the longest eyelashes!

I am so happy about starting a new month. This past month was kind of tight budget wise, but in August it is going back to normal. I will have money to put more of Roman's big boy room together and I'm looking forward to that. This week I am going to take pictures of the nursery and Roman's big boy room so that you can see the transformation happen. I never really got to decorate Roman's nursery in this house because when we moved in, Malachi and I went on our honeymoon, I went out of town to visit my parents, and then I got pregnant and sick...so needless to say the room is pretty sad looking. But that will all change in the next few months!

These were taken before the rain descended upon us!


My little man with a big personality!



Have you ever heard of Pinterest? It is amazing! It is a place where you kind find all kinds of inspiration for anything you can think of. I use it for party ideas, holiday ideas, recipe ideas, decorating ideas, hair ideas, and so many other things. In August I am going to do a month of Pinterest for our dinners. My mouth just waters thinking about it! I will take pictures of everything I make and share them with you! I am making some pretty amazing looking dishes!




But now I am off to finish dinner! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

How to make the best banana bread...EVER!

I loooove banana bread. It is actually dangerous when I make it because I could sit down and eat a whole loaf in one sitting...well maybe not....but actually yes I could! I have tried a few different recipes over the years but the one I have kept going back to is the banana bread recipe from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook. Many of our favorite recipes come from this cookbook. It was the cookbook I was required to own before I married Malachi. It was the cookbook his mother used as he was growing up, so I had to have it so I could cook from it as well. But back to banana bread...whenever using this recipe the bread always turns out moist and rich. What more could you want???

Whenever I'm feeling like banana bread I always buy more bananas than I know we will eat so they can go deliciously bad. I never tell Malachi of my plan because he always complains that all my baking is going to make him fat! Which I take as a compliment! But as a pregnant lady I have the right to bake whenever my little heart desires!
So to make this aaaamazing banana bread you must start out with 5 medium, disgustingly-delicious ripe bananas.

And I find it always helps to have a little helper around whenever you need him.

In a large bowl you mix all your dry ingredients together: 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon (I am extra generous with the cinnamon), and 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg.

Next in a medium bowl combine 2 eggs, your mashed bananas, 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup cooking oil.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture.

Have your helper mix the mixture till the batter is moistened and lumpy.


Spoon batter into a well greased 9x5 loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes in the oven set at 350 degrees.

Once it is finished let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then let it finish cooling outside the pan and voiala...you have beautiful, delicious banana bread!

Our week

*My pictures are way too big again. I will keep working on it!*


You have to love Florida summers! Everyday we have one or two thunderstorms roll through, which is not necessarily a bad thing till you have a little almost two year old who hates being cooped up inside all day. Today we were only able to play outside for 15 minutes before we had to pack up because the storm was getting too close. And tomorrow, like every Saturday, I had planned on taking Roman to the park since Malachi has to work and Saturdays are normally slow for us, but I looked at the weather for tomorrow and it looks like it is going to be pretty bad. Maybe even all day. It is always hard to find things for a two year old to do all day. I am going to have to get creative! I need to get some coloring books, crayons, and other fun indoor activities. But we have to wait till we aren't so poor! And it isn't the fact that we are poor...it is we have so many medical bills to pay off that all our extra money is going towards those! Maybe tomorrow will be a pajama movie day. I'm praying the weather man is wrong and tomorrow is a beautiful day! We shall see!






Able to get both babies in the same picture!
 
We have had a busy but wonderful week! Monday and Tuesday were actually kind of slow. I was pretty sick...little baby Adelai has been making me pretty sick lately. So Roman and I played outside, hopped in the pool, and made the most of our time at home. Tuesday I made this amazing dish that I found on Pinterest! I had to tweak it a little bit but it still turned out amazing!


Thank you pioneer woman!!!

Wednesday we had some friends from church over and it was so much fun! I made turkey and artichoke stuffed shells from Giada's "Everyday Pasta" cookbook. Yum!!! One of my favorite recipes! So delicious! Roman loved it too! And for dessert I made a white chocolate, raspberry cake. I have to say...it was the UGLIEST cake I have ever made in my life!



I don't know what went wrong! I have made it before and it was beautiful so I am going to blame it on my pregnant brain. Malachi even drew eyes on it since it was so hideous! At least it tastes delicious!
Thursday we drove out to Panama City Beach to visit my sister-in-law and her precious baby boy! My nephew, George, is so tiny! He is five and a half weeks old and so precious! I was holding him trying to remember when Roman was that small! It is so crazy how fast my little man has grown. What is even crazier is that in about 16 weeks I am going to have a newborn like that around again!
Today I was finally able to get to the gym this week to only feel defeated and leave early. I was able to lift weights but once I got on the treadmill my body told me it was time to quit. I was hoping to get in a really good work out but I guess Adelai had other plans! I am very proud of myself though...I have only gained 15 pounds so far this pregnancy! My goal is to only gain 35-40 pounds so wish me luck! With Roman I gained 60...yes...60 pounds! And sure I was able to lose it pretty fast, but I've heard it is harder to lose the baby weight with each pregnancy, plus I just want to be healthier, so hopefully I will be able to keep it up!
But I am going to wrap this up and go spend some quality time with my husband dearest!
Everyone have a wonderful weekend!!

The Joys of Motherhood

*Before you read this...I am sorry that all the pictures are so big. I am still trying to figure out how to get the pictures to be the right size.*

I love being a stay at home mom! I really do. I can't imagine myself doing anything more than I am doing now. I feel so fulfilled being able to spend everyday with my little man. I am also blessed to have a husband who is willing to work so hard and sacrifice so much so that I can have the option of staying at home. We live without a lot of luxuries...but we are both fine with that.






When I first was a stay at home mom I was kind of embarrassed by the fact (I feel horrible saying that now). I know that sounds horrible or silly, but I thought people, especially other women, would look down on me. It didn't take me long to realize that that was not the case. A lot of women told me they were jealous of me! I was shocked...but then I realized how blessed I am. Some women want to stay home and just can't. What if I had to go to work? I would hate to leave my little baby behind. (And before I continue...I know some women choose to work because they want to. There is nothing wrong with that. It is just that my desire is to stay at home and I do not believe that it makes me better than the women who choose to work. It makes me different.)






Now...I will admit that there are some days that I wish I could get some grown up time and that is what play dates are for. I believe they are just as much for the adults as they are for the kids! Adult interaction is SO important. I learned this the hard way when we lived in Pensacola. I got out to do stuff with other people maybe 5 or 6 times the year we lived there. I was so lonely and I craved adult company. But now that we are back in our home town Roman and I are constantly having play dates. And it is good for both of us. Roman needs the company as well! As much as we love each other we need to sometimes see other people or we will drive each other crazy! And since moving back we have both made some wonderful new friends.
I was just telling my husband that I feel that I am constantly having to learn how to be a mother to Roman. When we first had him I had to learn how to be a mother to a newborn, then an infant, and now a toddler. All his stages are so different. Now that he is a toddler I am having to be more proactive in coming up with activities for him to do. If I don't have an activity planned for us he will either destroy the house (which really ends up happening no matter what I do!) or wanting to watch movies. And I hate that he wants to watch movies all the time. He got way too used to sitting down for a movie everyday when I had morning sickness (more like all day sickness) for the first 16 weeks I was pregnant with his sister. So to counter act that I try to keep him busy. We color, play outside, go to the park, play with play dough, or find other fun things to do. And I have to say I love playing with my son. It is like becoming a kid again! Finding joy in all the small things in life! Shrieking for joy when we see bubbles or laughing hysterically at silly sounds, it is those small things that can bring so much joy to our lives.






Malachi and I have constant entertainment having Roman around. We are constantly in hysterics over the things Roman does. Like just the other day he and Roman were playing in their pool and Malachi decided it need some more air in it. So there he is bent over blowing more air into our little green pool when Roman decides he has to help him out. So Roman bends over and starts blowing raspberries onto the pool thinking he is helping his daddy out. He went on blowing raspberries for a good couple of minutes while Malachi and I are crying from laughing so hard. And of course, being a ham just like his father, Roman continues until our sides ache because he knows how much we love it! I cannot imagine what my life would be like without my little man around!





So as I am sitting outside with both my boys after dinner tonight watching them play together with my hand on my belly feeling my daughter swim around, I think how content I am. I love my life and I wouldn't change anything about it.

In six months time...

It has been six months since I have updated my blog. I haven't even thought about it in these past six months, but today I had the sudden urge to just sit down and write. I don't even know what about. Life I guess.
Our lives have changed so much in the past six months. The last time I updated I mentioned that we moved back to our home town. My husband found a great job that worked better for our family and for his school. He now works as a CT tech on the midnight shift at the hospital five minutes from our house. Sure, it can be straining working that shift, but we get evenings with him and it gives him plenty of time to work on his B.S.

We are officially moved into the new house (new furniture and all...wahoo!) but we are having to make some major changes in the house! Right now we are redecorating our third bedroom to become Roman's new 'big boy' room, and once he is out of the room he is in now we are start decorating for the new addition to our family! That is right! We are expecting our second baby, who is due November 3rd. And instead of blue this time we are all pink! We are very excited about little girl coming into the world (me more than anyone because that means I won't be pregnant anymore...but that is a story for another time)! Roman says baby and will point to my belly and say 'bayee' but then he will turn around and point to his belly and say 'bayee' as well. So I think it is safe to say he isn't quite sure what is coming his way in a few months!

The one thing about having a little girl is that we are starting from scratch. Sure I bought all the big things like the crib, the changing table, the car seat, the stroller, and a few other things to work for both genders, but there is so much I still need for my little girl. She needs clothes, blankets, bedding, a swing, and a few other things that are going to make money a little tight around here, but of course it will all be worth it!

Roman has grown up so much in the past six months...everyday he is turning more into a big boy than my little baby. I keep throwing hissy fits about it but it doesn't change anything. He is going to keep getting bigger no matter what I do. And he loves being a big boy too. He has to do things all by himself and loves to help his mommy do everything, and the whole time he is talking as well. He talks and he talks and he talks. I can understand a little of what he says here and there, but most the time I just go with it! He must get talking all the time from me! My poor husband gets his ear talked off all the time.

But even with Roman growing up he is still a momma's boy and still loves his snuggles, which of course I love. He also loves his Daddy. There is no one who can make Roman laugh more than his Daddy. 'Dayeee' is his all time favorite word. When Malachi is sleeping during the day I can't mention the 'D' word or Roman will get super excited and start running towards our bedroom door to wake him up. I love watching them together...they are two peas in a pod! If Roman didn't have my eyes, my build, and my coloring I would swear I hardly contributed at all to his DNA!

But I have to say that our lives are pretty wonderful! I love my little family and I have set a goal to blog at least once a week from now on to keep everyone updated on our little family adventures, so hopefully I can be better at keeping this blog updated! Wish me luck!

Happy Thursday everyone!