Halloween Night!

Halloween nights are some my favorite memories as a child. I can remember clearly the fall leaves blowing down the streets and the smell of the crisp night air. The whole day I would be so anxious to get dressed up. As soon as the sun would start to set out the door we'd be! My parents used to own a preschool, and they would throw the best Halloween Party on the block...face painting...hay mazes...bobbing for apples...it was sooo much fun! We also lived in a wonderful neighborhood in "downtown" Lake Charles. Trick or treating was a big deal..people decorated their houses/garages/backyards and usually had more than just candy to offer...I remember one house that always handed out candied apples. You didn't have to worry about only eating individually wrapped stuff because you knew your neighbors and trusted them. Myself, Jessica and a friend named Mikey had a clubhouse we built and were always improving...it was called Pete's Playhouse because Mikey had a dog named Pete. One year we decided to make it a haunted house for Halloween...we decorated it and put flyers out in the neighborhood and invited everyone. So many people showed up to walk through our haunted house. My memories from when I was a child are so wonderful...we were so imaginative and innocent.

Tonight we had trick or treaters! It was great! Brad made me dress up like a doctor..of course! All the kids were so cute. Jack was dressed up like a pumpkin...but he spent most of the night fast asleep!

He missed all the action!
Sadie and I ready for our trick or treaters!

Before he fell asleep!

HAPPY SCARY DAY!

mission accomplished...wheww!

mission get back to prepregnancy weight officially accomplished october 30, 2008.

whewww. damn it feels good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5HRzaOFhec

never ever thought it would happen. i owe my success to breastfeeding...and well i must admit that i do work out 3-7 days a week, but really i think breastfeeding was the secret...or no secret at all. i use to work out all the time before i was pregnant and was never as successful at losing weight.

Zoo day!

Brad was off yesterday, and since the weather was so beautiful...we decided it would be a great day to take Jack to the zoo. His favorite thing was the fish...yes out of all the animals...he liked the fish best (i think it had something to do with the glowing bright colors ;) (for maximum cuteness click on the pictures)

Jack with his favorite exhibit!

i miss the highschool days...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FydN2IhiKtc

its a zoo day---cause we on down to the audubon zoo and they all asked for you! pics later!

jacks just chillin watchin some tv on a tuesday morning. notice the thumb in the mouth. he's been successfully sucking his thumb the past few days.

looks delicious? we thought so too. thank you paula deen.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cinnamon-buns-recipe2/index.html

it's been chilly.

if your husband is pushing 80 hrs + a week and you need a little pick me upper"...don't stress...don't stress" and
just do it...click on the link below. you'll have fun and be glad you did. do a little dance too. you know you aren't really leavin...its the "don't stress don't stress" part thats to be emphasized.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYMDXK9ZpxQ

winter is a time for hats

finally...its getting colder outside and with that comes a need for a hat to cover jack's little head.

my mom took this one up above...she is so creative!

Weekend with Granna & PawPaw

1st four wheeler ride!

My parents with Jack

Jack and I made our journey to Lake Charles last week to cure my homesickness. It was such a wonderful trip. Saturday we went out to my parents property in the country, then we came home to watch LSU's victory against South Carolina! Sunday my mom cooked roast and rice n gravy...which you can never get tired of. It was great to be home...I miss home...I miss Louisiana. Brad and I have decided New Orleans just might be where we settle down in 7 years 7 months...can you tell I'm counting down? Although it would be amazing to live somewhere beautiful...like in the mountains or on a beautiful lake...being close to my family is more important to me. We can most definitely retire somewhere like that, but while we are raising kids...those places will be vacation spots and most likely New Orleans will be our home. I miss the culture...Audubon Park, the French Quarter, Mardi Gras, the sound of the street car passing by,the sight of people 2nd lining through Audubon Park, the smell of Cafe Du Monde, beignets, all the amazing food, the crazy afternoons of small jazz bands walking down the street playing just because, Magazine Street and the coffee shops, all the funny costumes you see people wearing on an average day...making it a not so average day, Jazz Fest, Voodoo Fest, Goldmine...gosh everything I loved it all sooo much. I can't wait to be back one day...so my kids can experience it all too...so we can spend our afternoons feeding ducks in Audubon Park playing. I want to live right next to Audubon Park....okay....I need to stop talking about it because its making me sad. Moving on...Brad is on call tonight and I'm still awake at 10:30...usually I'm fast asleep. I'm definitely starting to see the advantage of being awake at night while Jack is sleeping. A cool front came through today, and its super windy and chilly outside. I plan on spending most of my day outside tomorrow...and maybe the next day too.

a little bit of everything

Watching the game...LSU vs Florida---Go Tigers!!!
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

very delicious..especially if you are a coffee drinker. Here is the recipe! I melted white chocolate and drizzled it on top, which the recipe didn't call for...but it really added to the whole experience.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup light olive oil
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups pistachio nuts

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in cranberries and nuts by hand.
Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.

Harvest Time!

Hay ride!

We went to a Corn Maize with a pumpkin patch yesterday! It was lots of fun. The weather has been pretty nice in the mornings and evenings here...it gets in the 50s which I love. I love colder weather...reminds me of the holidays.

Jack's Room

i finally finished jack's room & bathroom and i love them both! its so great to nurse in my glider and read to him in his room. here are some pics of his room and bathroom. sooo i have to say...i copied from pottery barn kids the paintings on the wall in the bathroom and jack's room...they sell for $289 for the giraffe and alligator and $139 for the hippo and elephant. not sure how much the sailboat costs...but I paid about $35 for all the materials to paint them myself :) I'm really happy with how they came out and feel really sorry for everyone who bought them from pottery barn. i think i might start my own small business and sell kids paintings on ebay. I also managed to make the curtains in Jacks room, which was really fun. now i want a sewing machine and an embroidering machine...Brad is very impressed by my domestication.

my sweet baby

13 weeks

shame on daddy
we are HUGE fans of the baby bjorn...we use it all the time. it's the only way i can successfully grocery shop..plus it beats getting out the stroller which isn't the lightest thing in the world.

mmm..delicious

lightly breaded chicken with mushrooms, artichokes, and spinach with a lemon butter wine sauce served over a whole wheat penne. you can't see the capers but they are there..and make it so very delicious.

my fabulous husband made this lovely dish for me last night and it was delicious. if you don't know brad well...you should know that he loves food. he loves to cook it and eat it. almost everytime we go to a nice restaurant he is trying to figure out whats in the dish and how they made it so he can recreate it. if he weren't going to be a doctor he'd be a chef...and a damn good one i should say. as you can see i thoroughly enjoyed it :)

3 months

"what are you doing daddy?"

Jack will be 3 months old this week, and I can't believe it. Time has flown by. We are doing great, and I can say that I have finally gotten the hang of being a mommy. Jack is still waking up once or twice during the night, but I'm sure it won't be long before he is sleeping through the night. He suprises me all the time. One morning I walked downstairs with him and something felt different...he wasn't resting his head on my shoulder anymore! Now he holds his head up all the time and looks around. He's very interested in everything. He loves playing on his playmat and swinging in his swing. At first we didn't have a swing...and then I realized that all babies need a swing b/c they love it and it gives you a chance to get a few things done :) So Jack just got a swing! He also loves loves his baths. As soon as I lay him down in the bathroom and start running the water he smiles really big like he knows whats about to happen. He smiles ALL THE TIME and it melts my heart everytime...especially when I get him out of his crib in the morning! Things are going great and it's starting to get cooler in San Antonio which is wonderful. I'm looking forward to all the holidays coming up...I love the holidays. I can't wait to get a Christmas tree...I love Christmas trees.