Seven years ago I never would have imagined the life that was ahead of me.  As I stood in our winter wonderland and said,"I do," I thought I would get married, have kids and live happily ever after.  I think back to how naive I was on January 31, 2004 and I long to go back to that moment when the world was in front of me and there was no struggle, no pain, no loss....

As we celebrate our seventh anniversary today, I am thankful for so many things.  I am thankful that my husband is truly my best friend.  I am thankful that we have survived all the struggles in our seven years and have only grown stronger.  I am thankful for our faith that got us through it all.  And of course, I am thankful for the three beautiful children that have blessed our lives over the last seven years.  

Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning.

-- Chuck Palahniuk

Gobble Gobble...

It is only January and I can already cross a part of number 2 off my resolution list!  My dad came to visit us for a week and I thought it would be a perfect time to test out my turkey roasting skills.  I made a fancy brine and set it outside in the cold garage overnight. 

 
I then rubbed it with lemon thyme butter and put it in the oven.  It turned out a little darker than I wanted on the outside, but I can't tell you enough how delicious it was on the inside!

I was so nervous when we started carving into it, but it was moist and tasty and the perfect turkey if I must say so myself! 

Wordless Wednesday



I just can't resist a picture of a sleeping baby!



January Recipe

Last week I tried out my new recipe for the month and I thought I would share it with all of you.  I had a hankering for some mexican food and am getting kinda sick of making tacos all the time so I experimented with this yummy recipe from Ashley's Cooking Adventures.  Ashley is a sorority sister of mine and when I saw this Corn Bread Taco Bake on her blog, I knew this was defintely going to be my recipe of the month. 

Before you read on, I want to give you a disclaimer that I am horrible when it comes to following recipes.  I usually add whatever I have on hand which is definitely the case with this recipe! 

Corn Bread Taco Bake

Ingredients


1 package of cornbread in a 9X13 pan
1 pound ground turkey
Taco seasoning
1 can black beans
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 onion, chopped
1 small can green chilies
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 can sliced olives
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
Extra shredded cheese
1 avocado, mashed
Taco sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cornbread according to directions and spread in a 9X13 pan. Bake according to directions.

Brown turkey until no longer pink. Add in taco seasoning and black beans (rinsed and drained, if desired). Cook until most of the liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes.

Spread meat over cornbread. Combine sour cream, cheese, onion, olives, and green chilies.

Spread over meat mixture.

Cover entire pan with shredded cheese. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until heated through and cheese has melted.

Top with tomato, avocado, shredded lettuce, and taco sauce before serving.

I made this is a little different because I didn't have all of the ingredients. Although I do tend to use ground turkey instead of ground beef, I didn't have any on hand so I used ground beef. I then added the onions, some green peppers that I had leftover in my freezer from the summer, some corn and a can of diced tomatoes and then spread that over the corn bread. I then just spread the cheese and sour cream over that and baked it. I didn't have lettuce, tomato or avacado for the top either- just sauce.  It was delicious and definitely satisfied my craving for mexican food!

1.11.11

Today is a very special day if you live in or around our area! That is because the new Helen DeVos Children's Hospital is officially open today!  I can not say enough good things about this wonderful hospital where our daughters were born.  The doctors and nurses there not only took amazing care of Alexcyn in her three days of life, but also took amazing care of us.  The nurse that had been with Alexcyn most of her days cried with us when the dr told us there was little we could do.  The night nurse that was there when we said our goodbyes switched roles that night and became a professional photographer to ensure that we had more pictures of our daughter than we could imagine.  The staff made us a scrapbook with pictures of Alexcyn, quotes, poems, verses and even added the song verse that was in her obituary.  They gave us blankets and memory boxes, gift cards, books and CD's with pictures.  And, they dropped all of this off at our house personally!  This was more than I could ever imagine a hospital doing.  Especially since my daughter was sadly not the only one that passed away that day. 

When the girls passed away, you asked us what you could do to help.  We humbly asked you to donate money in memory of Brooke and Alexcyn to go specifically to the building fund for this new hospital.  Not only does the new NICU hold many more babies (over 100!), but eventually they will have rooms available where the parents can actually stay right in the hospital with their baby.  That is something that we would have loved to do with our baby girl.

So, I am sending out a big thank you to everyone who helped make this new hospital a reality!

15 Months

Grant turned 15 months old on January 1st.  I still have a hard time believing how fast time is flying by.  It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating Grant rolling over and now here we are watching him dance around the living room!  This is what Grant Weston has been up to lately...

*he is still a picky eater but has gotten a little better.  He loves yogurt and would probably be happy if I gave him yogurt all day long!  He also loves fruit- especially mandarin oranges and peaches.  He is not a meat or vegetable eater - I do try every night and occasionally he will eat a pea or carrot but most times they just end up on the floor.  If anyone has meal suggestions, I would love to hear them!

*he loves to feed himself even though it takes twice the amount of time and most of it ends up on his hands. 

*he loves music and I know that music will be a part of his life in some way.   I am just hoping he doesn't want to play the drums!!!

*he goes up and down the stairs by himself.  And, he goes down his slide on his tummy just like he does the stairs- it is too cute.

*he weighs 21 lbs 14 oz (10%) and is 31 in tall (50%)

*he loves to move objects.  He will pick up something and put it in an entirely different place.  I typically find sippy cups in my bathroom drawers and computer cords in the pots and pans. The other day I found a giraffe in our shower.  That one definitely made me laugh!



I had to snap a pic of this-I opened up his dresser only to find his shoes, book and name blocks from his bookshelf.

 *he wears 12 month clothes but the pants are rolled up quite a bit yet.  His snow suit is an 18 month size and it is ginormous on him!

*he usually sleeps from 9- 9/9:30 and then takes one nap when he is home with me.  When I have to work, he gets up at 7:30 (he already gives me a dirty look for waking him up!) and then he takes two naps.  He is still a stinker when it comes to sleep.  We are not sure if it has to do with his reflux that he is still battling, but he goes through spurts where he wakes up every night.

*he is starting to say more words.  So far he says mama, dada, papa, car, ball, cracker, go and occasionally he will say grandma and turtle.   He does say other things, but I have no idea what they are! 


*he is very independent and is great playing on the floor with his toys.

 

*he loves to give kisses.  Every time you say I love you, he makes a kiss noise- it is adorable!   He even gave kisses to the nurses right before they gave him his shots yesterday- they were not happy because it made them feel extra guilty for hurting him!

*he loves to read and will make you read the same book over and over and over and over and over again....


Everyday with Grant is such an amazing adventure and we feel so blessed to be a part of it!

eleven in eleven...

Instead of making resolutions that I know I will not keep, I am just jotting down some thoughts and plans I have for 2011.  Hopefully this way I will have less guilt if I don't actually do any of them! 

1.  Learn to sew.  I had this crazy idea that I was getting a sewing machine for Christmas.  So when it didn't happen, I had to put all of those sewing projects I had planned on hold.  Whether it be taking sewing lessons or just diving in and buying a machine, I want to learn to sew something this year!

2.  Cook more.  I am a total foodie.  I love to spend time in the kitchen cooking and baking but due to budget and time, I tend to make the same old boring food and don't always try new recipes.  My goal for 2011 is to make at least one new recipe a month.   Maybe I will even blog about it so you can all hold me accountable!  Two recipes on my list are roasting a turkey and making homemade spring rolls.

3.  Attend an afternoon tea.

4.  Get involved at our church more. We go to a Life Group, but other than that we don't really do much. I would like to volunteer at VBS, make meals for those in need and sing in at least one choir performance!
5.  Make a fancy gingerbread house with Grant.

6.  Stop watching trashy tv.  I have said it many times, but this year I will definitely NOT watch the Bachelor!

7.  Stop trying to compare myself with others.  I spent the last couple years envious of every woman that could just get pregnant.  Now that I have Grant, I thought I was done with all of those nasty feelings.  Unfortunately, now I find myself envious for other reasons....friends buying/building beautiful large homes, friends that can stay home full time with their little ones and friends that can afford lavish new wardrobes for every new season!  It is easier said than done, but I truly want to learn to let this go and stop being so envious.

8.  Continue reading my daily Bible. This is an ongoing process for me, but one day I do want to be able to say that I read the Bible from front to back.
9.  Take a photography class.  I have had a fantastic camera since Grant was born and the only setting I use is Auto. 

10.  Keep in contact with friends/family better.  I am horrible with calling, but I did get some amazing new note cards for Christmas so I plan on writing letters and keeping up with my correspondence better this year.

11.  Enjoy every moment.  Stop worrying about having a clean house and a meal on the table every night when J gets home and just sit on the floor and play with Grant because this time will go by so quickly.

12.  An extra one just for fun... be part of a flash mob!
What are your ideas/thoughts/resolutions for 2011?