Monday Update

Last week was a busy week with lots of visitors (my parents Wed. night, Jason's cousin and his family on Friday night and our friends James and Anna having a sleep over on Saturday night)  Hayden and I have been fighting colds for the past couple weeks and it seems they have gotten worse over the past couple days.  We are hoping to kick them soon!  

Potty Training Update - Hayden had been doing SOOOOOO well with going #1 on the potty consistently.  He wasn't telling me when he needed to go but would go when I told him we needed to try and would stay dry all day long (even during the night and during nap time!).  But we still struggled with going #2.  For some reason it was just not what he wanted to do.  So one day we made a chart together that if he went #2 on the potty 5 times he could get a sticker each time and after the 5 times he could get a prize (a giant puzzle!).  It didn't work!  The next day he went backwards having accidents left and right (#1 and #2) so I gathered up all of his potty paraphernalia -big boy underwear, treats, chart, prize, etc.- and put it all in a box, closed it up and told him we were shipping it off to a little boy that would actually use it (a little over dramatic, I know!:)  He did not like it at all and cried.  So I told him he needs to start going on the potty or else we have no use for any of these things.  So he started going again.  No more #1 accidents.  Still having problems with going #2 but yesterday and today I caught him in time to take him to the toilet and he went.  So he got 2 stickers on his chart.  I really do wish he would let me know when he needs to go, though.  I guess I can't ask for it all at once.  But we are making progress.

This Wednesday my little niece, Sara, turns 1!!!  How crazy is that???  We are going to Sioux Falls on Friday and meeting my sister and her family there and staying at a hotel to do some swimming and celebrating!  We are looking forward to it.  Just hoping to feel better before then!

Baby Update - I am currently at 13 weeks and finally feeling like a human being again!  I felt like I neglected a lot of things during those 5 or 6 weeks but am finally able to tackle them again.  I go next week for my 14 week check-up.  Always feels good to go to  those check ups and hear baby's heartbeat!  We will be half-way there before you know it!

Weekly Menu-

Day	Lunch	Supper
Monday	Playdate	Spaghetti
Tuesday	LO – Four Soup Hotdish	Roast in the crock-put
Wednesday	Out to eat	French Dip
Thursday	LO – Roast	Pork Chops
Friday	Pizza	X
Saturday	X	X
Sunday	X	?

Notes: We had a playdate this morning at a friends and had lunch there.  Last week I had put down Roast for Saturday and that did not happen.  I made Four Soup Hotdish (recipe below) instead, so we will have left overs of that tomorrow and a roast this week instead.  

Thursday we are having pork chops (they were on-sale at the store this week).  I brown them for a couple minutes in butter on each side and then bake covered with foil at 350* for 1 1/2 hours.  (Tip - add a little water to the frying pan to get the browned bits and put the water in the bottom of the baking dish.)  The last half hour I add 2 cans of cream of mushrooms soup on top.  When they are finished scrape the the soup off into the pan and take pork chops out.  Mix the soup up in the pan, add salt and pepper and you have an easy gravy for your potatoes! 

This weekend we will be gone and I am not sure yet what we will feel like eating for the big game on Sunday.   Maybe some party appetizers.  We aren't planning on doing anything but we might have to have our own little party at home. 

Four Soup Hotdish

1 lb hamburger

10 oz. wide egg noodles (not quite a full bag)

2 cans french onion soup

1 can cream of chicken

1 can cream of mushroom (either cream soups can be exchanged with cream of celery)

1 can chicken and rice

*Brown hamburger

* Boil egg noodles for 3 minutes (no longer, they will get mushy)

*Mix hamburger, noodles and all the soups together in a large baking dish (I use a roaster) and bake at 350* for 1/2 hour.

This recipe is SOOOOOOO easy and we love it.  Very quick to make. I usually serve with a veggie (my boys like corn and mix it together) and french bread. 

This recipe reminds me of my grandma - she made it often.  :)  Try it and let me know what you think! :)

Happy Birthday Jason

 Our first picture of our baby!  If you look closely you can see his/her little legs on the right side.  Can't wait for the big ultrasound to see even more!  It will be here before we know it! 

 Yesterday was Jason's birthday.  Hayden and I took him out for lunch and then made him Layered Tortilla Pie (his request) for supper along with a chocolate cake.  The cake did not turn out so well!  I thought it might look nice in a bundt pan but when I went to turn it over it came out in about 500 pieces.  Oh well...it still tasted good! 

 Hayden and I got Jason a hand held router for his birthday.  He has wanted one for awhile.  So he's looking forward to making things. 

The bakers!!!

This past weekend I went on my annual January trip to Crosslake for a scrapbooking weekend.  It was my 5th year going and we had a blast.  My friends Katie and Danielle joined me and we stayed up too late, ate too much, laughed and actually got some scrapbooking done!  

This past weekend visiting with my friend Meg we were talking about meal planning.  I was telling her how I plan out my week for meals and then only have to go to the store once a week.  This has definitely helped us cut down on our grocery bill as well as making so many trips to the store.  She asked me if I would post my weekly menu on my blog to share.  So here goes.....

                                                                      

Day	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Eat Out- Pizza Ranch	Layered Tortilla Pie
Tuesday	Left Overs (LO)	Eat Out – Steak Out
Wednesday	Spaghetti	Eat Out – Island
Thursday	Pizza	Meat loaf and potatoes
Friday	LO – Meatloaf and fried potatoes	Basketball game
Saturday	Brunch	Roast in crock pot
Sunday	Church potluck	LO - Roast

Notes:

*This week we are eating out a lot more than usual.  Usually we only eat out about once every other week.  But with it being Jason's birthday yesterday we ate out yesterday for lunch and will be eating out tomorrow night with my parents.  Tonight we are eating out with some friends and getting to know some people that have recently moved to Lisbon.

*I do have a good recipe for meatloaf but Prime Cut Meats in Fargo (across the street from Kmart in Fargo on University) has an excellent already made meatloaf.  Just throw it in your freezer and take it out when you want to use it.  And it's very reasonably priced.  

*Here's the recipe for the Layered Tortilla Pie - Easy and delicious!

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs of hamburger

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

1 8oz. can of tomato sauce

1 2 1/4 oz can sliced olives, drained (I use 2 - we like lots of olives)

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 fajita size tortillas, buttered on one side

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup water

*Brown beef, onions and garlic in a large skillet

*Add tomato sauce, olives and seasonings and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently

*In a round 2 quart casserole dish, alternate tortillas (buttered side down), handful of cheese and couple spoonfuls of meat sauce until you finish with the top.  Add remaining cheese on top.

*Pour water around the edges (I don't always use all 1/2 cup) of casserole into the bottom

*Cover and bake at 400* for 30-40 minutes

*Uncover and let stand for 5 minutes before cutting to serve.  

HIS Plan

This post has been in my mind for the last 6 months or so...and finally, I am ready to share it....so here goes!

I am a planner, it's just who I am.  I have come to grips with it...I have had almost 29 years to adjust to the fact.  Not everyone else in my life has, however! :)  Anyway, I can remember being a planner from very early on.  I made plans with friends about where we would spend the night on a Friday night or as I got older who was going to drive to the basketball game.  Since college I have had a planner and I put everything down on it so I know where I need to be, what I need to do, etc.  I think since getting married and becoming a parent I have gotten worse.  I have a planner, I also use the calendar on my cell phone and have a calendar on our fridge with all of our activities for the month, I also have a weekly calendar that I plan out our meals for the week (crazy, I know!!!).  I feel most comfortable when I know what to expect.  I don't mind flying by the seat of my pants and playing things by ear, but for the most part, I would rather plan on it.  

Last year, I had lots of plans.  We had plans to go to Las Vegas in April and I had plans for running the 10k in May (this was a planners dream....putting my mileage on the calendar, figuring out which days I would run what, etc!  I digress! :) and after I was finished with the 10k we had decided that we were going to start trying for #2.    And not much longer I found out that we would be having #2.  I started planning!  I had figured out my due date, March 10th, had gotten a Big Brother t-shirt for Hayden so that we could tell our families, had set up my first appointment with my ob/gyn.  We were excited! 

In July we went on a vacation and told Jason's parents and then the following weekend told my parents.  The following week our plans changed.  At about 6.5 weeks I had a miscarriage.  Not being that far along I hadn't really adjusted to the fact that we were having a baby, so I handled it fairly well.  The thing that I was most upset about, and I have later learned is ok to grieve about, is that my plans were ruined.  My plans for our family were not what I thought they were going to be.  I also learned my plans don't matter.  It's not my plan, it's HIS plan that matters.  I know there is a reason for everything.  

Not long after this happened  I started reading Living Without Limits by Judy Siegle.  She is a Paralympian and National record holder in wheelchair racing.  In her book she tells a story about a trip to the National Wheelchair Championship and was almost not able to compete due to problems with her racing chair....."Looking back, it was certainly possible that I would not have been able to compete - life doesn't always go as we have planned - yet we are in charge of our attitudes every day.  Living with a positive attitude helps us deal with the abrupt, unforeseen, and unpredictable events that are simply a part of life.  Such events become daily opportunities to open ourselves to growth and an understanding that even these untimely roadblocks are part of a bigger plan and purpose."  This paragraph hit my over the head!  

My plan doesn't matter.  I know God's plan for me is a wonderful plan and I trust that he is a much better planner than I ever thought of being.  Believe me, I have not given up planning, but I have given up trying to control what is I am not able to control.  

After visiting with the nurse practitioner at my doctors office she suggest we wait a few months to start trying again and low and behold a few months later we found out we were pregnant again.  I was nervous, to say the least, but I was the same way with Hayden so I knew it was to be expected.  The difference with this pregnancy is that I have not felt very good at all.  I have lost weight, spent some time over the toilet, and had to find ways to manage the sickness all day long.  We are currently 11 weeks into this pregnancy and I have heard the baby's heartbeat and also seen the little nugget on ultrasound.  I got to see his/her legs moving and and little arms too.  We are very excited to be able to share this news with the world and very anxious to meet our little one.  My official due date is August 7th but I am hoping for the end of July with my history of a fast labor and delivery with Mr. Hayden.   And a little relief from the summer heat won't hurt either.  

Thank you to everyone that offered us support during this time.  We are very blessed with family and friends that support us in so many ways.  

I leave you with this...“I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)”

Potty Talk

Well....you aren't going to get any lessons from me on this one.  I could use a few myself.  We have fully embarked on the Potty Training Train and let me tell you....we've had our ups and downs!  

It all started a little over a week ago.  We were at home and Hayden was showing some interested in going and I told him that if he went on the potty he could pick a treat.  So he looked in our treat container and found a......SUCKER!!!!  So after that he thought that he should get a sucker after each time he went.  So I was thinking...FINALLY we found something that is going to motivate him.  He won't have any teeth, but he will be potty trained!  (We'll ween him off the suckers later!)  So I called Jason and asked him to stop by the store on his way home to pick up a bag of suckers.  And it was working!  The first day we just kept trying and he would go pretty regularly.  An accident or two but we were getting somewhere.  The next day, this is huge, he was telling me when he needed to go.  He didn't always go, but he was realizing what was going on.  My potty training prayers had been answered....or so I thought!!!  A couple days later after he was tricking me into thinking this was the real deal.  He decided he didn't want to go on the potty anymore.  We are now back to struggling to change his pull-ups and struggling to get him to go potty.  Today he has gone successfully twice but it takes some pretty sweet talking to get him on the toilet!  I have ordered some underwear liners that go over his big boy underwear that still help him feel wet, but keep my furniture, carpet, etc. protected.  I'm hoping this will be the trick.  I knew this would be frustrating and take patients but the thing that is most irritating is that he has proven he can do it and knows exactly what he is doing but he just doesn't care.  I've always known he was laid back, but jeepers creepers!  So I will continue to pray my potty training prayers and continue to ask for patients.