Translations

A few funnies lately...

The other day I was chasing a fly with the fly swatter and finally got it. Kathryn thought I was "really super fast! Even faster than the fly!" And I told her, "the fly is going downtown!" And she goes, "to BUGTOWN!". Cracked me up.

The same day, she asked me something about Eeyore and "Shampoo"...

She calls The Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtles, "Teen Na-minga Turtles".

Yellow is "lellow"

Ninga is "inga"

For Jake-man, translations are below:
"Down" - means for me to pick him UP
"Carry-oh" - means to carry him
"Love-lou" - love you
"Help you" - means he needs help
"Pweeeeese" - please

Pretty much, all the boy needs to do is say Mama and I'm wrapped around his little finger. He is the most tender-hearted boy on the planet. They say so many things that are just too darn cute to correct. I let Kathryn call a window, "lindo" for over a year because it was the cutest thing EVER. Her preschool teacher corrected her this past year. I suppose they do have to grow up but they're growing so fast. I'm perfectly fine having a word or two linger in their sweet language for as long as possible...

Goodbyes & Hellos

Our neighbors just moved away yesterday. They've grown to be one of our closest friends over the last 5 years. More than just being one of my closest friends "away from home", they've seen Kathryn and Jacob grow up since the day they were born. That part is probably what makes me sad the most. The kids adore "Miss Brandy and Mr. Jason." It's one thing to have good neighbors; it's another to have good neighbors that are good friends. That's precious. There are many, many things I will miss but probably the most is knowing that any day, any time, we could walk across the street and get a much needed hug or know we have a friend who cares to listen. When you have good friends and they move away, it's not 'goodbye' but 'see you soon'. I hope it's really soon.

I made this for the family moving in. We've been told they're moving in from out of state - I sure know that feeling! I'll never forget meeting Jeff and Heather (our other neighbors who also moved away) the first day we moved in and her welcoming us with some baked bread from a local bakery. She won me over at day one. I hope our new neighbors feel just as welcomed as we did.

8 Year Anniversary

Today we are celebrating 8 years of marriage. EIGHT years. Isn't that incredible? I told Matt the other day that we were celebrating 8 years but I was thankful for 7.. ;) I really am thankful for each year even though of course it isn't always fun or "easy". The hard year actually makes the celebrating more meaningful. I know when we first got married I had a very different perspective on marriage than I do now. I imagine that perspective is ever-evolving as each year brings new things, lessons, twists and turns. Someone told me when we were celebrating our 6th year "oh, it's not a big year like 5th or 10th, etc..." Well, in my opinion, every year is a BIG year in my book. These days, that is not common anymore. I can say with absolute confidence and certainty that we are celebrating today, and each year, because of the grace of God. How blessed am I!?

We got to celebrate in Atlanta two weekends ago just the two of us. It was such a great weekend! Tonight, I'm making one of our favorite meals - actually something Matt cooked me on our "anniversary" while we were dating. And the best part, it's called Anniversary Chicken! Haha. Seriously. It's delicious though.

Here's the recipe:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup teriyaki basting sauce

1/2 cup Ranch-style salad dressing

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 (3 ounce) can bacon bits

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned.
3. Place browned chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush with teriyaki sauce, then spoon on salad dressing. Sprinkle with cheese, green onions and bacon bits.
4. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with parsley and serve.

The Hiatus

Hello Blog World!

It has embarrassingly been nearly TWO years since my last post. What in the world!? It's like I've been 37 weeks preggo for forever now. You'll be happy to know that we now have a handsome little man, Jacob, who melts my heart as much as his big sister Kathryn does. He is my tender-hearted, full of smiles, sweet boy. Blessed beyond measure doesn't even come close to how thankful I am for my family. This is a big month of celebration for us. August 14th will be our 8 year anniversary!! Also, August 27th will be sweet Jacob's 2nd birthday! How do I stop time again?

I haven't figured out how I want to go forward with this blog. I'm not sure if I want to keep up with family updates; which clearly, I am awesome at doing. Or if I want to use it as an outlet to encourage others. Or for "lessons learned" as those seem to happen to me every single day! Whatever the case, I'm excited to be back and looking forward to blogging on a much more regular basis!

Goodnight for now!