Our Weekend

It's the final countdown - 2 days until Christmas! We were busy this past weekend running errands and prepping for the holiday. Here are some snippets of our days...

On Friday, Sam and I headed out to the mall and Walmart for some shopping. Holy cow. Sam was just as overwhelmed with the crowds as his momma! Luckily, they were handing out samples of delicious pear in the produce section at Walmart. Sam devoured it.

After our adventures, Sam had an epic breakdown in the car and ripped off his sock and shoe. As he attempted to pull off the second, he fell asleep and snored the rest of the way home.

Saturday we attended services at temple and then headed out for some last minute errand running. We were "iced-in" on Sunday, so we spent the day wrapping gifts, making lasagna for Christmas dinner, and building some new counter stools.

Sam was a big help.

Just testing the sturdiness of this bar dad.

I need to inspect your work, dad. It passes.

Honeymooning!

Wishing K & A and very happy honeymoon! Enjoy sippin' some margaritas in the sun, guys! We love you.

K&A - October 13, 2013

Sam's First Holiday Concert

This past Tuesday Sam and his pals at school celebrated with a holiday concert. Yes, my 11 month old and his infant buddies participated in a holiday show - it was too cute!

This momma of course teared up. How can you not when you see this little face?

I thank God every day for this boy. What an incredible gift.

Sam held down the auxiliary percussion (a set of bells). I am certain he would have made Uncle Keith incredibly proud. 

The performers. I see a star!

Starting to get bored.... I did take video for da-da. Sam got a lil antsy and proceeded to kick the seat in front of him, yell, stick out his tongue. So funny to watch!

Just making sure my mom is still there.

Sam and I made our way back home on Tuesday evening in the snow. Look at our snow bank! We've got 22 inches of snow in the last week - yes, 22! This photo was taken from the car on Wednesday. Enough is enough.

Warming things up - Salsa Chicken

It is COOOLLD up here. As I type this, it's -2. FRIGID. I made this easy and filling dish to bring some HEAT back into the house.

You’ll Need:

1 lb. shell shaped pasta

1 lb. cooked and shredded chicken (I HATE shredding chicken. Hate it. So I just cut my raw chicken into bite size pieces and cooked it in a little olive oil on the stovetop and it came out great)

1 (8 oz) jar of salsa (mild, medium, hot – it’s up to you)

1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles

1.5 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 (2.8 oz) can French Fried Onions (yup.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta to al dente (about 7 to 8 minutes).

In a big bowl, mix together your chicken, salsa, tomato sauce, water and green chilies.  Drain your cooked pasta and add it to your bowl along with your cheese.  Stir to incorporate everything.

Pour your pasta mixture into an 8x8" baking dish lightly sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle French Fried Onions over the top. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 to 10 or until your pasta is bubbly and your onions are browned.



So easy.

This recipe could be doubled and placed in a 13x9 pan to serve a larger crowd, and could also be frozen and tucked away for a day when no one feels like cooking. 

Recipe courtesy of Mix & Match Mama.

It's the Holiday Season...

I can't believe Christmas is here! We've had a lot on our plates so my poor notebook has been missing my entries. Here's what we've been up to...

Last Friday, Sam and I headed down to New Hampshire to visit the P's. Sam was gifted little J's TRAIN SET. J is growing up and decided to pass it down. It's beautiful, in great condition, and currently in about 500 pieces. G and I need to figure out where to set it up...

After our trip to NH, we headed down the street to get our tree!

We purchased our tree from the local little league. 100% of the profits go to the league and this is their largest fundraiser of the year. We were thrilled to support our new community - and also learned that t-ball is played at the field next to our neighborhood.

Love this shot of my family.

Hysterical watching my husband attempt to set up his first Christmas tree.

On Saturday, we brought Sam downstairs to see the tree. He exclaimed, "ooooooo" - it was too funny. My parents came over to help us decorate our tree and eat some holiday fare. Sam was sporting his "Dear Santa, I can explain.." t-shirt. I attempted to get a good shot of him but this lil bugger does not EVER want to sit still. I love this tee with the lil pup on it - makes me think of puppy Oakley and the T-R-O-U-B-L-E the Oakster and Sam will get into.

Our tree! We love it. Minimal decorations on the bottom because we don't have many and because my lil pal has grabby hands.

G's aunt and uncle gifted us this delicious hot chocolate mix and giant marshmallows for a holiday gift earlier this month. We kicked it up a notch with some added spirits and prepped for the storm.

On Sunday we woke up to a foot of snow (with more in the forecast for today AND later this week) and a lil boy who is having some tummy troubles. While G was shoveling the driveway (God love him. We need to ask Santa for a snow-blower) Sam and I took a lil snuggle on the couch. Right before he fell asleep, he air-kissed me. I nearly melted.

Sam's Christmas List

This holiday season, G and I have had an interesting time sharing a Christmas list with Santa. Sam is just a lil guy and he doesn't need many toys. But, it is his first Christmas and we want it to be special. Because, "special" means an abundance of gifts... (sarcasm.)

We found this list written by a 10-month old and decided to put it in the mail to the North Pole. It's like Sam wrote it himself, especially the sought-after wall mount entertainment center.

Check it out here - http://theuglyvolvo.com/2013/12/10/a-ten-month-olds-letter-to-santa/. 

Weekend in Maryland - A's Holiday Gathering

This past weekend we headed down to Maryland to visit G's parents, Sam's Nana and Grandad. Here are a few snippets of our time!

Sam and I at the airport in Portland. Please notice Sam is missing a shoe. We were also missing da-da, who got stuck in Chicago after a business trip in Wisconsin. He met us in the Baltimore airport. Thank goodness for my cousin C, who helped me unload the car, check baggage, and keep Sam smiling prior to our going through security. I would not have got to this smiling picture without her!

Landed in Baltimore and da-da picked us up in the rental car. Sam was BESIDE himself to see his Dad. The biggest smile! He hadn't seen da-da's face in a week!

At Nana & Grandad's - photo courtesy of Aunt A.

There were holiday gifts exchanged on Saturday morning - and Sam ended up in one!

Another from Aunt A - Sam and Uncle K.

On Saturday night we toured the holidays lights and feasted with extended A's. The visits and weekends spent with the A's are always filled with delicious food, including lasagna, waffles, quiches, bagels, and lots of cheese.

On this visit I also learned more about Sam's namesake, his great-Zaydie (great-grandfather.) He was described as a man who was always positive, put family first, and didn't have a malicious bone in his body. I hope our lil Sam shares these same qualities as he grows.

Our trip home was epic. After a snowstorm in Maryland which made for a white-knuckled drive to the airport and three-hours stuck on the tarmac prior to take-off, we finally arrived home around 10pm on Sunday night.

Some photos of Sam's journey on Sunday...

Packing up at Nana and Grandad's. Photo from Aunt A. Just love his little side smirk in this one!

Snoozing in the airport prior to boarding.

The following photos reflect a calm, angelic, baby sleeping on a plane. Let's just say photos were not taken during the screaming, crying, and sadness that results of three hours of NOT MOVING in a confined space. Poor kid. Had to share these angelic ones though!

Trying to find any way to get some cozies going.

Snuggling with momma. 

We landed!

Thanks to the A's for having us! So glad that everyone made it home safely after the weather troubles on Sunday. 

Sam and I won't be flying any time soon.