I Am So Excited, I Just Can't Hide It!

I am beyond excited to share this little bit of news with you....

On or around May 11, 2010, Matt and I will be blessed with another niece or nephew! Yes, Ethan is going to be a cousin again because my sister and Ben are expecting a baby! Ahhh, I am beside myself about this!

While we have known for a couple of months now, my sister gave me the "go ahead" last week to do a blog post about their wonderful news! We are so excited for Kristi and Ben and I can't wait for my little sister to experience pregnancy and motherhood, it is so amazing! I know that they are going to be wonderful parents; their baby does not know how lucky he or she is to have them in their life.

So, many many CONGRATULATIONS to my sister and Ben. We cannot wait to meet your little baby boy or baby girl in May. Enjoy the upcoming months and all the wonderful things pregnancy and parenthood have to offer!

Foodie

Matt and I have been trying to cook dinner for ourselves as much as possible lately. In order to keeping things interesting, we like to try a variety of recipes we receive from friends and family or found online and in magazines and newspapers. While some of the recipes we try end up in the garbage because they prove to be too time consuming or just plain terrible, we have found quite a few that are really delicious. I wanted to share with you 2 great recipes that we have really enjoyed (well, we both loved the orzo, but only I really love the paella) and will be making again!

The first recipe is Chicken, Lemon, and Dill with Orzo found in November 2009 Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

Chicken, Lemon, and Dill with Orzo

4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 pound chicken tenderloins, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pound orzo
4 ounces crumbled feta
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400. In a sauce pan, bring broth, 3/4 cup water, butter, salt, and pepper to a boil. In a 3 quart (I used a 2 quart and everything just fit) baking dish, combine chicken, orzo, feta, dill, lemon zest and juice. Pour broth mixture over orzo and stir to incorporate. Bake until orzo is tender and cooking liquid is creamy, 40 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan on top and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

The second recipe is one that I love from Weight Watchers new Comfort Classics cookbook. It is not quite as easy to put together as the orzo, but equally delicious.

Chicken and Sausage Paella

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 (1/4 lb.) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
4 ounces turkey kielbasa, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
3/4 cup long grain white rice
1/2 cup frozen peas
8 small pimiento stuffed olives, sliced
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate.

Add the kielbasa to the skillet and cook 1 minute, stirring often, until browned; transfer to the plate with the chicken. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken, kielbasa, broth, tomatoes, rice, peas, olives, and saffron and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, 20 minutes. Remove fro the heat and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

We hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do! And if you have any that you would like to share, bring them on, we love to try new things!

Pumpkin Carving

Growing up, carving pumpkins was something I looked forward to as Halloween approached. It was equally as, if not more exciting than picking out our costumes Each year, we would carve pumpkins as a family in the kitchen with gobs of newspaper covering the island to ensure our mess was easily contained. My dad was always a good sport about gutting the pumpkin because we didn't want that slimy goo all over our hands. Once the pumpkins were gutted, a black crayon was a must to ensure the perfect face. After carving, we would spend the rest of the evening enjoying roasted pumpkin seeds.

Since Halloween fell on a Saturday this year, we decided to wait and carve our pumpkins the night before; a tradition I think we will continue. Ethan is still a little too young to understand the pumpkin carving concept, which was shown by his complete lack of interest, but Matt and I had a great time. I proudly gutted my own pumpkin this year and had lots of seeds to show for it! It is hard to tell from the picture below, but Matt went with scary pumpkins and I opted for the more traditional pumpkin face! I am already excited about next year!

Incredible!

As many of you know, my sister works for the American Egg Board which is home of the Incredible Edible Egg. Since starting there she had done quite a bit of work promoting the benefits eating eggs has on your mind and body. You might have seen some of the commercials they have done recently with stories of incredible people. I think the "egg" chair that all these incredible people sit in is pretty neat and I couldn't wait to get a chance to sit in the infamous egg chair. Well, a couple of weeks ago, Ethan and I met my sister and my mom at the American Egg Board for a little trick or treating and a photo op.
The chair is pretty cool if you ask me! It is not quite as big as I had envisioned it, but comfy nonetheless. We had a great time visiting Auntie Kristi at her office and were thrilled to have an opportunity for and egg chair photo! Thanks for a fun lunch!

If you have a chance, check out the Incredible Edible Egg website for lots of yummy recipes and lots of fun egg facts!

Back Where I Come From

For all my fellow Crystal Lakers out there that ready this blog, a cute t-shirt to remind us where we came from. Thanks, Shannon, for link!

*****WARNING*****

Just a fair warning to all our fellow bloggers out there:

If your blog is listed on the left hand side in our blog roll and you have not updated in the past month, your blog will be removed from the list!

Lake Ellyn

On Sunday, we took advantage of some nice weather and visits from both sets of grandparents with a walk around Lake Ellyn. The colors around the lake were just gorgeous; vibrant orange, yellows and reds like I have never seen before.
Ethan had a blast seeing the ducks on the lake, hearing the leaves crunch under his feet and walking around with nanny and grandma. We also tried to snap a few family photos while we were there.
Ethan also discovered the fun in running down a hill. As you can see from the expression on his face in the picture above, it was something he loved doing and was repeated several times. He was a little tuckered out after that and had to take a little rest on papa's shoulders!
We had such a fun afternoon just enjoying the fresh air and time with our families. Nothing beats gorgeous scenery, beautiful weather and great company. More pictures from our walk here.

Swimming Lessons

A couple of months ago, we signed Ethan up for swimming lessons and his first lesson was Saturday, or so we thought. The first class actually starts this Saturday, the 31st, but the teacher was kind enough to let us stay for the last class of the first fall session. So, we will be visiting the BR Ryall YMCA in Glen Ellyn every Saturday morning for the next 8 weeks for half hour lessons. Here is Ethan all ready to go in his warm up suit. He is looking a bit tired because we had to wake him up a little early, as lessons started at 8. Despite being woken up a half hour early, he was in a great mood and all ready to go!
We, of course, arrived a little too early and ended up having about a 15 minute wait until the lessons started. Good thing a couple of big kids were having swim team practice. Ethan loved watching them jump in the water and swim laps as fast as they could. He was quite conten to just sit there and watch all the activity. Maybe we have a future swimmer on our hands.
Here is Matt and Ethan just before the class started. The class takes place in the Y's therapeutic pool so the water is nice and warm and shallow. I think I will be taking over next week as Matt was a little uncomfortable squatting down the entire time and singing songs. Still Ethan loved having his dad with him during his first class. We knew that Ethan loved water because he really enjoys bath time, but I don't think we realized how much he actually enjoys splashing and playing around. In all honesty, the class is going to be kind of a joke because the teacher is extremely timid, not really engaging and didn't have much of a plan, but at least this gets Ethan in the water, exposed to putting his face in and jumping off the side.

On a side note: during bath time the past 2 nights, Ethan has started putting his face in the water, trying to blow bubbles. He gets so excited that he is doing it that he just looks up and smiles at you, like he knows he did something good!

Fun with Jack

The day after we went to the pumpkin patch, we drove downtown for a delicious dinner with Katie, Dana and Jack Rice. Katie never fails to disappoint with her outstanding cooking skills and this time was no different with bruschetta, stuffed shells, and a delicious salad. I love getting Ethan and Jack together since they are so close in age and play extremely well together. This allows Katie and I have have a few glasses of wine and catch up and Dana and Matt to enjoy a few beers and talk sports, sports, sports. The boys left the Rice's house looking like a tornado had passed through, but I know they had a great time running around, pulling out all of Jack's toys, and eventually pushing each other around on various carts and trucks. Thanks for a fun evening and yummy dinner!

The Great Pumpkin {Patch}

One of the fall traditions I wanted to start with Ethan (and future children) is visiting the pumpkin patch each year to pick out our pumpkins. Last year, while we did visit the pumpkin patch, we were not able to actually purchase pumpkins because we did not have a place to display them in our condo. This year is a different story; however, so we headed over to Johansen Farms in Bolingbrook for a little fall fun with the Glynn's.
The first stop was at the growth chart to see how tall the big guy is! As you can see just about two and half feet, which is pretty close to what the doctor told us just a week before.
Then it was on to feed the goats. Ethan was not too sure about them in the beginning, but quickly warmed up to them after some coaching by his dad and Keegan! A trip to the farm would not be complete with out a ride on the tractor and a quick family photo. Of course, Ethan couldn't resist showing off his skills behind the wheel!
The boys also had a great time going down the big slide and running through the muddy corn maze. Keegan loved the bounce house and spent quite a bit of time there, but unfortunately I did not get any pictures of him in there.

After about an hour in the kids zoo, we are all a bit chilled and thought it was about time to go pick out our pumpkins. After a quick stop for some warm apple cider and a donut, we made our way over to 20,000 or so pumpkins. I had big plans for our pumpkins this year...the bigger the better. As you can see from the picture above, my plan was put into action fairly quickly only to be crushed by cost. Over a hundred pounds of pumpkin is not too economical so we opted for some smaller ones. Although nice, just not what I had pictured sitting on our front porch this year!
Despite the chilly weather, nothing says fall like pumpkins, hot apple cider and donuts! And what a better way to enjoy them than with friends. More pictures from the pumpkin patch here.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Well, not that cold, but definitely time to start thinking about winter jackets and hats! I ordered this coat for Ethan along with this hat and mitten set. Everything arrived yesterday and

Ethan decided to have a fashion show last night! I think he is all set for some sledding and playing in the snow!

All he needs now is a pair of these! Oh, and some snow pants!

Slippers

Ethan got some new slippers a couple of weeks ago and wore them for the first time last night. He thought he was pretty darn cool walking around in them last night. He has really been into shoes lately....is that a bad sign? At least we know where he gets it from!

2009 Chicago Marathon

Good Luck to all those participating in the Chicago Marathon today! You are a a great inspiration to all of us!

Ralphie

When Matt was in college, a lot of his friends called him "Ralphie" after the little boy from "The Christmas Story" because quite frankly, with glasses, Matt looks a lot like him. Well, Peter Billingsley, the actor who played Ralphie, directed a new movie, "Couples Retreat", starting Vince Vaughn, that opens today. With the new release and Vince Vaughn being from Chicago, there have been a lot of pictures of Peter in the media lately. Now that Peter is all grown up, I still see quite a resemblance between him and Matt. Those bright blue eyes and blonde hair...what do you think?

15 Months

Last week Ethan celebrated his 15 month birthday. Although, we really didn't do anything in honor of this special day, we still enjoyed a visit with great grandma, lunch with Nanny, and a trip to the park.

We visited a new doctor's office in Glen Ellyn on Friday for Ethan's 15 month appointment. And while the new doctor, Dr. Erin Flanagan, was wonderful, no one will every compare to our pediatrician in the city, Dr. Megan Lynch. I can't say enough wonderful things about her and I will miss our appointments dearly because she is amazing! Anyway, I digress...Ethan didn't do nearly as well at this appointment as he has in the past. I am not sure if it is because he is finally realizing what happens when he is at the doctor or if it is just because he is cutting teeth. He did not want Dr. Flanagan to touch him and screamed bloody murder whenever she tried to get near him. Maybe he just missed Dr. Lynch as much as I did. Regardless, Dr. Flanagan was impressed with Ethan developmentally and thought he is right on track, if not a little ahead of a 15 month old. Physically, Ethan is still on the small side. He weighed a whopping 21 lbs. and is 31 inches tall. This puts him in the 7th and 30th percentiles, respectively.

Although I tend to obsess about Ethan's size, the doctor did not seem concerned at all with his one pound weight gain over the past 3 months. She assured me that this is just a phase that most toddlers go through, they are just not interested in food, let alone sitting still long enough to eat. I hope this passes rather quickly because we have had some stressful mealtimes lately. Here is a self portrait Ethan and I took before heading to see the doctor on Friday.

Ethan is at such a great age right now; probably my favorite. Although I think every stage is my favorite while we are going through it. It really does continue to get better and better. I feel like he has really changed from a baby to a little boy in the past month or so.

He is definitely more independent and knows what he wants, but at the same time still loves to give hugs, kisses and snuggle on the couch for a story. He is walking, no running, all over the place. And while he still looks like a drunken sailor at times, I know he loves being able to walk around. He started a music class a couple of weeks ago through the Glen Ellyn Park District and has really developed a love for music. We catch him dancing and clapping when there is music playing; especially "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. He loves trucks and cars; wheels are still an obsession and he really enjoys books. Being outside is a favorite and he has a new found love for the park, especially the slide, and jumping in puddles.

Eating has been iffy the past month or so, but I am attributing that to teeth since he has gotten 6 since his birthday party, including 2 molars and I can see another four just waiting to pop through. I don't think Ethan is a picky eater per se, I just really think that eating is not of interest right now or down right hurts. We did introduce peanut butter and he loves it on crackers....a perfect snack. He is fully transitioned to sippy cups and drinks whole milk like a champ. Pacis are still our friend at night and I think they are used more for comforting than anything. Often times when I check on Ethan before I head to bed at night, he does not have a paci in his mouth but one in each hand. Getting rid of the paci is our next challenge and I am sure it will not be a fun one.

Ethan is starting to "talk" more and more and his communication skills continue to improve. He still is not saying full words, but can get what he wants by pointing and saying what we think is bottle, car, ball, truck, shoe, banana, doggie, mama, daddy, etc. I think we will see a lot of change in his vocabulary during the upcoming months and I can't wait.

Ethan's curiosity is still amazing, but keeps us on our toes. Opening and closing cabinets and drawers are a must when we are in the kitchen and the toilet is fascinating to him. The good news is that he is easily entertained with the chip clips, a couple of tin foil pans, and a comb. We are truly enjoying each and every moment with him, as we know this stage will not last forever. If only I could bottle up each moment and save it for a rainy day. Ethan has truly made our lives more enjoyable and made us each a better person. I know he will always continue to be the light in our lives. Can't wait for the next 15 months! We love you, big guy!