What a Beautiful Night!

Me and my two favorite guys in the whole world went for a walk outside tonight. We only went to the top of the road, but we had a good time. And Matt and I were able to visit and spend quality time not just with Tyler, but with each other also.

okay..maybe my THREE favorite guys..:)

What a great Daddy!

I love this picture....

'Is she ever going to stop taking pictures of me!?!?'

Just a pic of the sunset!

These two will be best buds in the future!

We had such a good night!

I am so in love with my husband, my son and my life!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Back to Work!

This morning I left my darling Tyler at the sitters. It was harder than I thought it would be. As I walked out of the house I got a little teary eyed. I drove around until I thought I could go to work without being really upset. I am sad that I won't get to see him till 4:00 - but really, 4:00 isn't extremely far away, I am sooo glad that I don't have a demanding job--or a job out of town. I am also relieved that we have such a good sitter. If we didn't have her, leaving him with someone else may not of been that easy. She even told me I could call every hour if I wanted. I do plan on calling at lunch to see how it is going.

I guess this is just part of being a parent. Before we know it he will be going to school. I am just going to enjoy everyday with him and enjoy watching him grow and change.


Here is some pics I took this morning!!

(A couple notes on this pic: 1) the pink John Deere blanket is a blanket I made for myself--not Tyler..lol..2) before people say anything, we don't lay him on his side. I just laid him like this while I was getting ready.)

Sitting in his swing before we left!

He quickly fell asleep!

After I changed him!

You can't tell..but his sleeper says 'Mommy's Hero'..only seemed right that he wore it to his first day away from me ! :-)

I am horrible at self photos...to be honest..I think it is even annoying when people go around snapping photos of themselves. But no one was there to take a picture of the two of us, and I wanted one, so this is the result! Might not be the best--but it works for me!

"But Mommy, I don't wanna go"... : )

I still can't believe it has been 7 weeks already. It seems like just yesterday we were on our way to the hospital. Time goes by way too fast!!

Sunday

I ended up missing church. I figured I should take advantage of the last day I get to sleep in for the week.

Around noon, Papa Ron and Granny Liz came over to visit this afternoon! Tyler was in a good mood and we had a good visit!

Later in the afternoon I went to visit my parents. We had a good time also. Mom and I ran to the store to do our weekly grocery shopping and spent some time just chatting : )

As for tomorrow...I go back to work! I am kind of upset that I have to leave Tyler, but I know that it is for the best. He will get to interact with other kids and we will all get into some kind of routine. I am so glad that we have such a nice sitter! I think that is helping my feelings with leaving him.

I will let you know how it goes!

Sesame Noodle Slaw

This is the recipe I made for the get together we went to tonight. It turned out really good! I have had it before several times, but this is my first time making it. I plan on making this side dish one of my new favorites!

Sesame Noodle Slaw

(the slaw is kind of lopsided for the picture..I was in a hurry..I was running late :-)

Recipe from: Better Homes & Gardens

Prep: 20 minutes Chill: 30 minutes to 4 hours Bake: 10 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/3 cup salad oil
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 3-ounce package chicken-flavor ramen noodles
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 of a medium head cabbage, cored and shredded (about 6 cups)
1/3 to 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (3 or 4)
Directions
1. Spread almonds and sesame seeds in a shallow baking pan. In a 300 degree F oven bake about 10 minutes or until toasted, stirring once; cool.
2. Meanwhile, for dressing, in a screw-top jar combine oil, vinegar, soy sauce, seasoning packet from noodles, sugar, and black pepper. Cover and shake well.
3. In a large bowl layer cabbage, green onions, almonds, and sesame seeds. Break noodles into small pieces. Sprinkle onto salad.
4. Add dressing; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Makes 8 side-dish servings.
5. Sesame Chicken and Noodle Slaw: Prepare as above, except layer 1-1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken or pork with the cabbage and onion. Continue as above. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

The get together was a lot of fun. The couple has a new house, which is decorated very nicely! It was fun to get to talk to some people I haven't talked to in a while. Tyler behaved the whole time!-he was pretty much sleeping the whole time! I was VERY happy he was the good little boy I knew he could be!! :)

Good people, food and conversation..how can you get better than that?!

Easter Egg Hunt

Today we went to the Easter egg hunt at church to get a picture with the Easter Bunny. But the Easter Bunny didn't have the best costume-if you were there you know what I mean. : )

But I did manage to take a few pictures!

Great Aunt Patty!

Tyler and his cousins, Lauren & Caleb!

Fun at Grandpa & Grandma's House!

Dad made a trip to Bass Pro. Of course he had to buy Tyler a camo hat, coveralls and a onesie! This pic is adorable!

Grandpa playing with Tyler.
On a side note: I took Tyler's pants off to check his diaper and didn't see a point to put them back on. That is the only reason his socks look like that! LOL!


Molly is still trying to figure 'what' Tyler is.


Grandma and Tyler playing with his favorite toy. It is a cow that you pull a string and it vibrates!


This is the point that Grandma was singing him that chicken fried song. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, but I'm not a country music fan, especially that annoying song!!


The ladies heading to Ladies Night Out!!

The Dog N Pups!

My Dad, his boss/friend, Don and coworker/friend Paul all went to a Jimi Hendrix Tribute Concert this past weekend. This is a picture Don (the one in the middle) had taken and then sent it to my Dad. Just so you know, Don never looks like this, he is always in business clothes and very conservative. So this picture is hilarious! After we took the picture of Tyler in the bandanna (the pic I used for my Wordless Wednesday), Dad sent it to Don. And then Don cropped it and made the following picture! It is WAY too funny!!!Sorry Matt, We are corrupting your son! : )

This Weekend...

Friday/Today- Mom, Malinda and I are going to 'Ladies Night Out', which is basically just a fun night out for ladies, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. I am looking forward to it! Tyler is going to spend time with his Daddy!

Saturday- The weather is supposed to be nice, so I will probably spend most of it outdoors! And my church is having an Easter egg hunt that afternoon, and I need to find out if the Easter bunny is going to be there, so I can get Tyler's picture with him! That evening some friends are having a BBQ, I am going to try a new recipe-I will let you know how it goes!

Sunday- No plans..however...I am going back to work Monday. So...I have a few things I want to get ready/clean.
I'm not too depressed I have to go back--so far. I am ready to get into a routine and get Tyler in a routine also. I will miss Tyler a lot, but it will be good for him to interact with other kids. I'm sure Monday will be hard, but luckily he will only be at the sitter from 8-4, and the sitter said I can come on my lunch to nurse if I like (I don't plan on doing this, but I am glad to have the option if I decide to). The sitter we found is great! I went by to meet with her yesterday, and I was totally impressed. I have heard so many good things about her, so it wasn't a surprise that I loved her. Tyler will be in great hands! I am just glad that I don't work as long of days as some women do, I don't know how they do it!

Well..wish me luck for Monday!! And I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Wordless Wednesday

A Stroll Outside!

Tyler and I took advantage of the beautiful weather today! He helped me hang laundry, get the mail, and just walk around the yard. We also sat and just enjoyed the day!

This afternoon, Malinda, Mom and I walked around town. It is a good thing Tyler likes stroller rides!

I hope everyone took advantage of the nice day!!

Dinner at Malinda's!

Saturday night we had dinner at Malinda's house. Her and Mat did a AWESOME job on the meal and were wonderful hosts!

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The Menu!

Grilled shrimp & chicken

Twice baked potatoes

Fresh garden salad

Fruit salad

Vegetable tray

Deviled eggs

Homemade bread

Cheesy garlic biscuits

It was quite the spread!! And very delicious!

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The 'salad bar'

Just looking at those potatoes makes me hungry!!

My fondue turned out pretty good! My dippers were bananas, strawberries, pound cake, and brownies. I also made a ice cream cake..since I knew there was no way the Matts would eat fondue! :)

Here is the recipe for the fondue..very simple!

Chocolate Fondue

Recipe from: Better Homes & Gardens

(I forgot to rotate the pic) :)

8 oz bittersweet chocolate

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 c. milk

-Melt chocolate in saucepan. Once completely melted, add sweetened condensed milk and milk. Stir well. Transfer to fondue pot and serve immediately.

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Mom and her plate of grub!

The ladies!

I think Mom is fitting into the Grandma role very well!! :)

My Granny & Tyler!

Karen trying to calm Tyler down!

It worked for a little while!

Great Grandma !!

Malinda & Mat! They make such a good couple!

If you can't tell by the pictures..we all had a really good time!!

Malinda was on diaper duty!!

Hey there!

He is becoming very alert!

Fav Aunt Malinda! Or 'Auntie M' , as Mom and I like to call her! (From The Wizard of Oz).

Such a sleepy baby!

I do have another picture to post later of the 4 generations. I didn't have a good one on my camera, so I will have to snatch one from Malinda! :)