Wordless Wednesday

16 weeks.

Well, I knew I would miss a week here and there (eh hmm...15 weeks) but not this soon out 

of the gate :) Anyhow, moving right along to 16 weeks, praise the Lord! 

Pregnancy Highlights...

How Far Along: 16 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby is the size of an avocado. 

Maternity Clothes: All regular with the exception of some maternity leggings, but I am not doing very well at keeping them up!

Gender: Hoping to find out in February :) -- Scarlett is still convinced it's a girl. 

Movement: I think I am starting to feel some flutters... Best. feeling. ever. 

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good!

What I miss: Having energy so that Scarlett and I can just get up and go. 

Cravings: BLT with potato chips. Cantaloupe and cottage cheese. 

Symptoms: Tired and some lower back pain.  

Best Moment this week/Looking forward to: Well, we had a doctor's appointment today and my doctor had told me she would be willing to do an ultrasound and that she would most likely be able to tell us the gender.... wouldn't you know that this sweet babe was sitting indian style with the umbilical cord between his/her legs. Ha! So that was a no-go, but it was still wonderful to see this precious life growing inside me. 

Something for a little extra weekend energy.

Back when we had just moved here for Mitch to work at Parris Island, Scarlett and I went to a playgroup for Officer's  wives that was hosted in a sweet girl's home. She made a nice little breakfast spread and it included these really yummy granola balls she had homemade. I sort of forgot about them until I was searching for a really yummy, healthy snack. I am not sure if this is the exact recipe, but it is certainly just as delicious. 

I thought I would share it incase anyone else might be looking for a little boost :) 

Granola Energy Balls

Ingredients:

2 cups of oats *I used extra thick rolled oats because they have 2g more protein per serving than regular oats

2 cups coconut flakes 

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup ground flax seed

3/4 cup chocolate chips

2/3 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

I found whole flax seeds (at the military commissary, shocker!) and used the dry blade on my vitamix to grind them. You could even use a coffee grinder. 

 I have to include a few shots of my very helpful, very lovely assistant! 

Basically, all you do is combine all the dry ingredients in one mixing bowl and all the "wet" in another. Then combine the two. I tried to mix it by hand, but that was not working. So, just use your mixer. 

Roll into balls and place in fridge to chill for a couple hours. I think I made about 2 dozen. It all depends on the size you roll them into. 

Have a great weekend! 

I had a precious friend of many years who said there is a girlfriend of hers who is waiting to get pregnant and that she was able to read my short response about the struggle of waiting. I don't know specifically what her situation may be, but I know that the wait can seem long and lonely. I empathize with her and many others I know who are experiencing the very same thing. One of my very best friends just recently experienced the devastation of loss. Miscarriage or infertility can come into your life as a scorching desert. A time where you feel like your prayers are not heard. Where no one understands your trial. Or maybe your desert has nothing to do with this subject that is so near to my heart. It may be something that I will never understand. But it is a desert just the same. 

I heard this song for the second time today and it captivated me. It's words are almost verbatim from scripture. I remember feeling like I didn't know what to do during my times of waiting. This song has the answer of what you are to do. In every season. I hope these words fall as sweetly on your spirit as they did mine. 

Butter.

This girl melts my heart. Like butter. 

 When she comes down the stairs in the morning after she has "put my clothes on by MYself" it cracks me up to see what she thinks she needs to be wearing to be ready for the day. In this case, she was ready for dancing. And we do a lot of that around here!

Scarlett, you have such a sweet heart. Your prayers at lunch and dinner lately... they are simply beyond precious. Here is what you said at dinner last night: "Jesus, thank you for my family. Thank you for brining my Daddy home from work today. Please give me a happy heart for my Daddy. I love you, Jesus. I miss you. Amen" Your Daddy and I LOVED every second of listening to you as you had your little hands folded and eyes closed. 

You also talk a lot about how you want to marry your Daddy. It's really cute. And, I can tell your Daddy loves it ;) 

Among other cute things that come out of your mouth... 

- "Mommy, I grow up. Go to college. Live with my friends. You come with me?" (clearly I talk fondly about my college days!) 

- "What are my mommy and daddy's names?" (she loves to call her Daddy "Mitch" a lot) 

And then there is your sassy side. Oh dear. You love to talk really crazy and really fast and then look at me like, "what are you gonna say mommy?" And then when I ask you where you learned to talk like that you say, "Uncle Chaz." Actually, anything remotely "inappropriate" you say you learned from Uncle Chaz. Which is probably 100% true. 

You are SUCH A JOY to us.

(I really hope it was just my camera angle that is making SJ look so tall. My baby is growing up!)

Speaking of butter. I made THIS Paula Dean recipe tonight. Yummy. We ate it with kettle cooked sweet potato chips. And, please...What is it about bacon? It tastes so good sometimes.

And, you can see in my picture here the apple "donuts" in the background. This is a really fun way to "spruce up" an apple for your kids. You just take the core out of the apple and slice it thinly and voila! A whole new way to enjoy an apple :) 

14 Weeks

 

When I was pregnant with Scarlett, I was still trying to figure out the whole blogging thing (still am!) and so I didn't do weekly updates. I SO wish I had. Thankfully, I did one at 14 weeks with her, so I have a little comparison for this week. The biggest difference I feel in this pregnancy is that I am just SO exhausted. I worked full-time (outside the home) through my whole pregnancy with Scarlett, but it is very different from chasing a busy toddler all day. Otherwise, the pregnancies seem to be pretty similar. I remember feeling sick until at least 15 weeks with Scarlett, and I still feel pretty queazy most days.  

Pregnancy Highlights...

How Far Along: 14 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby is the size of a lemon. 

Maternity Clothes: Not yet... :)

Gender: Hoping to find out in February! 

Movement: Not yet

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good...

What I miss: Having energy. 

Cravings: Grilled cheese with a side of pickles, french fries and a chocolate malt from Dairy Queen. All natural Cheetos. Cherry popsicles. (Yes, I have indulged in all of these cravings... Oh boy, I sound like the object of health, ha!) 

Symptoms: Tired and Hungry. 

Best moment this week: Listening to Scarlett talk about having a “baby sister” (which we do not know what we are having yet, but she is set on a sister. Yikes!) So sweet. 

Looking forward to: Possibly taking some mommy/daughter pictures this weekend if the weather is pretty. 

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

I am not a big meat eater. It's just not my favorite. So, I try to be sure and get plenty of protein through veggies as much as possible, especially during pregnancy. Anyhow, a couple years ago my sister and I were eating at this hippy food co-op (she is a total hippy and I love her for it!) and they were serving a vegetarian shepherd's pie. We went completely gaga for it! We have talked about it ever since, but have never found a recipe that was anything like it. Well, Ryan text me the other day and she had found a Lentil Shepherd's Pie recipe on the back of her favorite vegetable stock carton. Of all places! So...she made it at her house and I made it at mine... it was a success. I thought I would share it with y'all. I was happy I already had some lentils in my pantry from making my darling friend Kathleen's favorite lentil soup (which is SO yummy).  P.S.Lentils are packed with protein! 

This may not look too appetizing to some of y'all. If so, just think of it as mashed potatoes and peas.

I made Mitch my BFF Beth's Hamburger Steak to go with it and it was a hit. 

I wish I had thought ahead and taken pictures of each step... but it is relatively simple, especially for all of you culinary experts :)

Ingredients: 

6 medium red potatoes (1.5 lb, quartered) 

1 cup lentils, rinsed & drained (rinse and examine for miscellaneous materials) 

1 cup vegetable broth

2 tbsp olive oil 

1 large onion, chopped

2 large carrots, roughly chopped

1/2 tsp thyme (or rosemary) 

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 low fat milk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Preparation: 

(this may seem a little lengthy as far as prep goes, but you can multitask and get it all together at the same time with no worries) 

Cook potatoes in boiling water for 25 minutes, until tender. Drain well. Set aside. 

Bring lentils, broth and 1 cup of water to boil in medium pot. Boil 3 minutes, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender, 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat medium casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside. 

Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute onions, carrots and garlic until onions are translucent and carrots start to become tender, about 10 minutes. 

Remove from heat and stir in peas, thyme, sea salt and ground black pepper. Stir cooked lentils into mixture. 

Mash potatoes or whip with electric mixer (I totally suggest whipping them!) adding milk, cheese, butter and cayenne pepper. 

Transfer lentil mixture to casserole dish. Spoon mashed potatoes over lentil mixture and smooth to evenly cover. 

Bake 30 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6-8

Enjoy this hearty, healthy dish! 

Soaking in some vitamin D

We have all been feeling a little icky around here this weekend. Scarlett is getting over a double ear infection and Mitch and I have what I think are just some good old fashioned colds. It's been raining and therefore a little dreary... so that right there kind of puts anybody in a little funk. However, on Saturday the sun burst through the clouds and it was like medicine! 

Here is proof that we enjoyed some much needed vitamin D... 

Winter wedding bliss.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for all of your sweet words about our exciting expectancy :) Your comments (and texts and facebook comments) warm my heart to NO end!!! Thank you precious friends. We are just so very thankful to God for allowing us to have such joy in giving us another child. Thank you for sharing in this special excitement with us. I look SO forward to sharing  our journey on here of bringing our precious baby #2 into the world this July. 

I just cannot help but say one thing to any girl out there who might be reading this and wishing she could have the joy of expecting a baby of her own right now. I'm so sorry you are going through this time. In many ways it's a lonely road. I know your longing. After losing a baby in April 2012, I thought the feeling of utter desperation would never lose its sting. And while I will always remember what the 7 months of waiting and hoping felt like, I am here to say that God hears you. He loves you with utter desperation, as if you could allow your low state to somehow translate into how deeply He loves you. My prayer is that you would allow Him to use this time of waiting to pour out His love lavishly over you. Not as a time to separate you from Him or from your husband or from precious friends He has given you, even if they are experiencing something you wish for yourself.  I have so been there. And I type this because I have seen firsthand how God can use your, what may seem, "silent suffering" to bring you closer to Him. To bind you to a steadfast dependance on Him to be your portion every single day. I hope that means something to someone. But, either way. Glory be to God. He is trustworthy, I promise. And most importantly, He is sovereign and worthy of our praise. 

~~~ 

I have got a lot of catching up to do! We have been back home in South Carolina for 1 week now and I am still swimming in laundry and just some good ole' house dust. You know how it goes. Anyhow, we got to spend a wonderful 7 days back home in Kentucky as we celebrated 1) The wedding of my precious, precious little brother, Chaz, to his beautiful bride, Karinne and 2) The birth of our Savior Jesus with our family. 

On December 21st my little brother, who is beyond darling and amazing all at the same time, married the love of his life. She is a dream. And there wedding was the sweetest thing since Scarlett Jean. I mean sweet y'all. We love "Rinnie"and already see her as our sister.  It was such an honor for my sister, Ryan, and I to stand up with Karinne on her wedding day. I know Mitch felt the same as he stood as best-man and little Scarlett as flower girl too. 

these first two pictures are borrowed from [bc] photography

(most of these pics are borrowed because I was just not with it enough to have my camera out!) 

Me, Karinne and Ryan. Sisters! 

 I loved getting to spend lots of time with my Sissy!!

And after the sweet ceremony we got to party like it was 1999! Scarlett tore up the dance floor...heck, she tore up the whole reception hall by the end of the night. Seriously, there were moments where all I could see was a little white cupcake bouncing in the distance. That was our girl. 

My groom :)

My sissy and her hubby, Derek. Me & my sweet Mitch. 

Sissy pic! (left to right) my mama, cousin Lyndsey, me, Ryan, cousin Elizabeth and Aunt Barbie (my mom's sister)

I have to include this picture of us with the greatest neighbor ever (as in my parents' neighbor). Jackie! She is full of life, she is loving, she likes to party with the best and she's Italian :) 

My sweet, energetic, sleep deprived girl. She was a blast and a trooper! 

One of the highlights of the wedding for me was getting to see my precious friend who came all the way from Colorado... Jilly! There is just nothing like a FOREVER friend. 

 I know the Lord has great plans for this couple. We love you C&K!!!