High Flyer

If you are our Mothers, our Fathers, our Grandparents, or our Goodfellows, You may want to avert your eyes from this post. You have been warned :)

Kenley loves when her Daddy throws her up in the air! Today I was able to capture some of this fun Daddy Daughter time!

When our Silhouette Machine finally comes in the mail, I am totally making Kenley a shirt that says "High Flyer" upside down!!

Walking with the Sarr's!

Daddy Daughter Date Day!

Auntie Kimbe!

PB & J

Yummy PB and J for lunch!

Okay Mommy, get that camera out of my face!
She has totally been doing those eyebrows lately when she is mad or annoyed. It cracks me up!

Lets Talk Smoothies

Since going sugar free (and mostly dairy free) I have been drinking a ton of smoothies. It is likely that I will burnout my blender fairly soon.

I always add spinach to all my smoothies. The taste of the spinach is undetectable and it gives me that green veggie boost that my diet needs. If I have it, I also usually add Spirulina powder to our smoothies which makes them extra green and even better for us. If I am having a blah day a smoothie almost always brightens my mood, I am convinced that it is due to the spinach!

I have three favorite smoothie recipes on rotation in our house right now.

1. Strawberry Pineapple- This one is definitely all of our favorite!

Frozen Strawberries

Frozen Pineapple

Fresh Spinach

Coconut Milk

2. Coconut Blueberry- This smoothie is inspired by one that I had at Thrive

Frozen Blueberries

Fresh Spinach

Spoonful of Coconut Butter

Coconut Milk

3. Carob Raspberry- My newest creation born out of a desire for chocolate :)

Frozen Banana

Fresh Spinach

Frozen Raspberries

2 Tablespoons Carob Powder

1/4 cup uncooked Oats

Coconut Milk

Do you have a go to smoothie recipe that is your favorite? I am always up for trying new smoothie recipes!

Random

- Ripe Bananas are gross... But bananas with a green top part are delicious... Especially with Peanut Butter.

- I want to try this Honey Roasted Peanut Butter Recipe... There is no sugar in it!

- I am becoming more and more desperate for Claire to sleep through the night...

- My Sister got a job at Anthropologie! I am really excited about that because family members get a discount too!! I have my eye on these bowls...

- Sister also bought me a watch! She is really nice...

- I am sick of having tons of trash... So we are going back to cloth diapers...

- I need to give up dairy so that Claire will have less reflux... I like milk... Giving up dairy is way harder than giving up sugar...

- Kenley is giving me a run for my money... Disciplining children is hard... Its such a mind game...

- At Titus 2, Kim Y. was telling us ladies that when she had little babies she would keep her Bible open on the counter all the time... so that when she would get a quick minute she could go to the Word and it was readily available to her all the time... I think I am going to start doing that too...

- We need to have a garage sale ASAP... I am so tired of clutter!

Okay that is enough random for one morning! Have a good Friday!

Little Mama

Yesterday Kenley decided that her baby needed to be nursed while Claire was being nursed! She is too funny!

The ABC's of Me

I have seen quite a few blogs doing this ABC's of me thing and I thought it would be fun to join in!

A. Age: 24!

B. Bed size: Queen, though one day I would like a King so that all of our kids can crawl into bed with us for story time!

C. Chore you dislike: Taking out the trash.

D. Dogs: Sadie (Goldendoodle) and Tyson (Boxer). We also sort of have Pepper (Dachshund) and Moxie (Fox Terrier). Though all four live in my parents house and are basically theirs now.

E. Essential start to your day: Nursing Claire

F. Favorite color: Gray

G. Gold or silver: Silver

H. Height: 5 foot, 1 inch. That is 11 inches shorter than Brian!

I. Instruments you play(ed): Flute for 2 weeks in 5th grade and Piano for half of a quarter in college. What a quitter! :) I so extremely unmusical!

Kenley, however, loves playing with Daddy's guitar! It reminds me of August Rush!

J. Job title: Wife and Mommy.

K. Kids: Kenley June (19 months) and Claire Louise (10 weeks)

L. Live: Tulalip, Washington

M. Mom’s name: Karol Louise

N. Nicknames: KerBear. Brian almost exclusively calls me Babe, I am usually caught off guard when he says my actual name.

O. Overnight hospital stays: Haha I am sure if you have been reading for any amount of time you know all about my hospital stays :). If not check out July/August of '09 and December of '10. I also had an overnight stay when I got my appendix removed. I was 19 and married, but they put me on the pediatric floor. Haha, I remember waking up to cartoon bears on the walls and then later in the day Santa came to bring toys to all the sick kids. The newspaper even came to document it. Embarrassing.

P. Pet peeves: When milk gets on my hand while I am nursing Claire. Gross. She is a sloppy eater so it happens a lot and it bugs me every time!

Q. Quote from a movie: I am not crazy about movie quotes but my favorite TV quote is Erin from The Office. "Like the cow moo'd yesterday" HAHA I love Erin!

R. Righty or lefty: Righty

S. Siblings: Kimberly Lynn/Linn (19)

T. Time you wake up: Whenever I hear a crying child

U. Underwear: Yes? I don’t really understand this question. But I do know that it is a necessary part of my wardrobe.

V. Vegetables you don't like: Cooked Greens. Fresh Spinach in my smoothies? Awesome. Cooked Spinach? Mushy and NASTY!

W. What makes you run late: Lately it has been having to change Claire's outfit again because she has spit up on it.

X. X-rays you’ve had: I cant really remember but this one is my favorite because it is so unique. I love how you can see little baby Claire inside of me!

Y. Yummy food you make: My favorite comfort food is Cresent Roll Chicken. Yum I want that now! But alas the crescent dough has sugar in it. :(

Z. Zoo animal favorites: I haven’t been to the zoo in forever! I remember always loving the Polar Bears when I was little.

Roast Chicken

If you want to feel like a rockstar housewife, then I suggest you make this Roast Chicken!

Ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken (about 6 lbs)

2 Tablespoons Butter (more if you dare)

Salt and Pepper

1 Lemon

3 Large Garlic Cloves

4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme, plus more for garnish

6 Onions, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch this slices and then separated into rings

1 Bag Baby Carrots

1 Bag Fingerling Potatoes

1. Let chicken and butter stand at room temp. for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove plastic pop up timer and other gross stuff from the inside of the chicken, discard. Tuck the wing tips under the body (to prevent them from burning). Generously season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper.

2. Place the palm of your hand on top of the lemon and pressing down roll it back and forth on a hard surface several times. Pierce the entire surface of the lemon with a knife. Using the large side of a knife gently press on the garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert Lemon, Garlic, and Thyme into the chicken cavity.

3. Spread your onion rings, carrots, and potatoes all over the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the chicken on top. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine.

4. Spread the entire surface of the chicken with the softened butter. Season generously with salt and pepper.

5. Roast until skin is crisp and deep golden brown and the juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork about 1 1/2 hours. Stir veggies a few times during cooking to ensure they don't burn. Insert and instant read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. Chicken is ready when the breast or thigh reaches 165 degrees. Garnish with thyme sprigs.

Daddy's Girl

Sugar Free

Tomorrow, Amy and I begin no sugar month!

I am excited and nervous at the same time. Last May when I first went without sugar that first week was killer! I had horrible headaches because of the sugar withdrawals but after I got past that, I started to feel great so I am just trying to keep that memory in my head!

So you may ask,

What do you eat when you can't eat any sugar?

You just have to read labels like crazy! Almost everything has unnecessary added sugar!

Here is our dinner meal plan

Dinners:

Roast Chicken w/ Veggies

- Shred remaining meat and save for Southwest Soup.

-Place chicken carcass, 1 cut up onion, 2 cut up carrots, and 2 cut up celery stalks into a crock pot and cover with water. Cook on low for 8-12 hours. Strain and reserve 4 cups for Southwest Soup. Freeze remaining stock for later use.

Southwest Soup

- Use leftover Chicken and Chicken Stock

Lemon Garlic Tilapia w/ Salad and Sweet Potato Coins

Enchiladas w/ Corn

-Use this Enchilada Sauce Recipe

BBQ Salmon w/ Potatoes and Steamed Green Beans

- Place Salmon fillets in a ziploc bag and top with this BBQ sauce and thin with water. Allow Salmon to marinate for at least 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Lasagna w/ Salad and Garlic Bread

- Double the meat and triple the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Save extra sauce and reserve for Spaghetti Pie, Spaghetti, and Stuffed Shells.

French Dip Sandwiches w/ Steamed Broccoli

Spaghetti Pie w/ Salad

-Combine cooked spaghetti noodles with cream cheese and sour cream. Place in pie plate and top with leftover sauce and then top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes

Pineapple Chicken w/ Steamed Carrots and Rice Pilaf

Meatloaf w/ Mashed Potatoes and Peas

- Add pureed Cauliflower to the Mashed Potatoes

-Use this Ketchup Recipe

Tacos

-Use this taco seasoning mix

Spaghetti w/ Salad and Bread

- Use leftover sauce

Hawaiian Chicken w/ Roasted Asparagus and Squash

- Combine 1 T Melted Butter w/ 1 T Olive Oil. Coat Asparagus and Sprinkle with Salt and Lemon Pepper. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup w/ Salad

Egg Souffle w/ Fruit and Bacon

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells

-Use leftover red sauce

Extras:

Ranch Dressing

Pizza Sauce

Banana Soft Serve

Chocolate Candy

Cheese Crackers

So do you want to join us in our sugar free adventure?

Or share your favorite sugar free recipe?

Lately

Kenley seems to have Bieber fever :)
I was introduced to the greatness that is Chai Tea Latte.
Grammy and Kenley danced at lunch. You can do that if you are the only people in the restaurant!

I became a real grown up and went to get my license renewed. It had been expired for 3 years. I didn't want the grown up horizontal style... I liked the vertical. If you need to renew yours definitely go while its snowing! I was in and out in 10 minutes!

Mittens are fun especially if you are 19 months and your hands are too small.

Claire @ 2 Months

Claire is 2 months old! She is starting to seem less and less like a newborn. She is still a bit refluxy and is always arching her back. This weekend, Kenley, Claire, and I are all sick. It is so pitiful to hear a 2 month old coughing. Since being sick she has been super snuggly so I have been loving letting her fall asleep on my chest and then getting to listen to her snore!

She has earned herself quite a few nicknames! Grammy calls her Lil' Mini, Grandpa calls her E (short for Eclair), Auntie Kimbe calls her Smalls, and I call her a number of different names including C.Lo and Spitz.

She is still eating every three hours during the day and every four hours at night. Thursday, though there was a glimmer of hope and she slept from about 10pm to 3:30am!

I love you sweet Claire!

Caption Contest

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Claire's 2 month appointment 2-17-2011

Head Circumference 14.3 inches (11th percentile)

Height 21 1/4 inches (29th percentile)

Weight 8 pounds 0.6 ounces (7th percentile)

Her appointment went well. She has a small cyst at the base of her neck but the doctor wasn't worried about it and they will just keep an eye on it. This doctor totally reminds me of Chuck Norris... He takes long pauses and will just stare at you for a long time while he is thinking. Its odd. But funny.

Two-Four

The problem with having your birthday on Valentines Day is that it is so hard to get dinner reservations! We were going to go to the Melting Pot but then we decided to go to the Space Needle instead! Only problem was we could only get a reservation at 9pm.... That is way late for two sleep deprived parents of a newborn and a BUSY toddler!

Dinner was great though! The Space Needle's restaurant is revolving so that you get a 360 degree view of the gorgeous city. This note was on the window so Brian wrote on it and by the time we had made it back around someone else had wished me happy birthday!

If you go to the needle for dinner, you really should order the prosciutto wrapped cheese appetizer! It was delicious!! (though Brian didn't think so... more for me!)

Earlier in the day my wonderful husband gifted me with a new Macbook (and a cute turquoise cover)!!! Yay now I can blog while he is at school! He also totally surprised me with a Mommy necklace that I loved! I didn't think that he got it for me because he didn't give it to me with the computer, But as we pulled up to the Space Needle, he handed me the little box and asked me if I wanted to wear it to dinner! I love it!! I feel like 24 is old... Like full on grown-up status! Funny that having two kids didn't make me feel like a grown-up, but the number 24 totally does!

Speaking of the kiddo's did you know that it is near impossible to get a non-blurry photo of Kenley? She is constantly on the move, even when she is sick! Here she is sporting her Valentines Day outfit!

The Ronk's love The Goodfellows!

iPhoto Fun

Kenley's 18 Month Appt. 2-2-11

Kenley was really good for her 18 month old appointment. Much to my surprise Kenley only weighs 18 pounds 3 ounces! I was convinced that she was at least 20 pounds! So she is still well below 0% on the weight scale but at least she is slowly gaining!
At Kenley's checkup in September she was in the 4th percentile for weight, at this appointment she had jumped to the 65th percentile! So she is turning into quite a little string bean!
Her head circumference was in the 50th.
She had a blood draw to check her platelet count. Previously her platelets were in the 900,000's but thankfully her platelet count has gone down to 588,000. That number is still above the "normal" range but it is a huge praise that her numbers are getting closer to normal!

Seattle

Monday, we loaded up and headed for Seattle! First stop, (after me getting mildly lost) was the Space Needle! The view up there is gorgeous! Washington is a beautiful state!
Kristen and Kenley are buddies!



Claire really enjoyed her first trip!


After the Space Needle, we headed to Pike Place Market. I don't have any pictures of that because I was nursing Claire in the car almost the whole time. I wish I would have gotten a picture of Melissa trying the smoked salmon. That fish monger is probably still laughing at her face when she tried it! Next time she can give hers to me, I love it!

Here is Kenley showing the girls where her nose is while we waited for our table at Ivar's.
Our final stop of the night was the troll... I got lost on the way there too :)

I love Seattle! I definitely want to spend more time exploring all the fun quirky things that this city has to offer!