Meals this Week

I have been really trying to do a good job with my meal planning and prepping for the week.  I find that when I have dinner planned out each night, our evenings are so much less stressful!

Ryan and I are both trying to eat healthy and cut calories - so meal planning and prep can help us to stay on track.

Since the beginning of the year he has lost SO much more weight than I have.  How is it that men can just drop pounds - and it is so much harder for women?!  NOT fair.  I have been slowly shedding - but an only down about 2 pounds since the beginning of the year.  We are going to Florida in April - so I would love to be more comfortable in a bathing suit by then...

Meals this week:

Monday - Chicken Marsala with Whole Wheat Pasta and roasted mushrooms.

I tried this packaged sauce and it was quick and easy.  Would totally make it again!

Tuesday - Left over Chili 

I had a meeting at Blake's school - so we just had some left over chili from a big batch that I made on Sunday.

Wednesday - Cashew Chicken

I am going to do a version on this recipe that I found on Pinterest.  

*edit:  This was SO good.  Will 100% make again!

Thursday - Quick and Easy Chicken and Avocado Burritos

Also from pinterest - I will tweak the recipe a bit.

*On Fridays we usually just make something quick and easy :)

Taylor Tuesday

Since I was such a good blogger when Blake was a toddler and so good about documenting Olivia's baby years - and so BAD about documenting anything for poor Taylor - today's blog post is dedicated 100% to TAYLOR.......here's Taylor Tuesday!

(poor third child :))

Taylor is 2.5 now.  She and her dad are as close as close can be.  She's certainly a daddy's girl.  He spoils her rotten.  Not sure if it is because of her personality - or because she is the "baby."

I am sad that for the first time in 7+ years we no longer have a baby in the house.

Taylor is in the Tike's room at "baby school" (daycare).  She is thriving.  She goes 4 full days/week.  She loves her friends and teachers.  My sister is the center director - so I know that Tay gets special treatment from her Aunt Mary - and I get pictures and snap-chats throughout the day :).

As of December she is just about 100% potty trained.  We do still use a diaper at nap time and at bed time - but during the day she is in underpants!  Unlike the first two kids, I didn't really "potty train" her - it just kind of happened.  

Her hair is still very curly - which I love.  As it gets longer it is starting to get straighter - but in this picture I straightened it with the straightening iron.

She is such a happy girl :).

Its funny how we "parent" her so differently than we did with our first two.  We are so much more relaxed this time around - but she seems to be turning out just fine.  Ha.

What we are reading...

As I get back into the blogging swing of things, I am going to try to come up with some topics that I can focus on each week.

I will start this Monday with BOOKS...because we love to read.

Olivia and I went to our library yesterday to pick out some books for the week.  The kids and I read a book each night before bed.  We LOVE the library.

After putting the kids to bed, I finished up Never Never part 1 last night.  I have loved the other Colleen Hoover books that I have read - but I did not love this one.  Her other books have been love stories (some a bit on the racy side) - but this one was just odd.  I will probably read parts 2 and 3, because I need to know what happens - but I'm not really feeling it right now.

Blake is obsessed with the Magic Tree House series.  We are currently on book #35 and we have read each book consecutively starting with book #1.  I am ready for a change of pace- but he loves this series.  We read a chapter or two per night.

  

Olivia's pick last night was Pinkalicios.  Liv is ALL GIRL so these books are right up her alley.  Taylor liked it too :).

I'm still alive!!

It just took me about 20 minutes to remember and retrieve my password to even log in to do a post!  I guess that tells me that it has been WAY TOO LONG!  

I often have good intentions of posting on my blog - but have not gotten around it it in virtually YEARS.

2016 is a new year - and maybe (just maybe) I can commit to coming back and posting regular updates.

The most recent pictures of our family of 5 are here:

Blake is now 7

Olivia is 5

Taylor is 2.5

That seems unreal even to me now, as I type that.  I started this blog to document Blake's life when he was a baby - and he is a 1st grader.  Unbelievable.

Now that I have the capabilities of actually logging in - you may here a bit more from me :).

Sweet Summertime

I think that it is safe to say that summer if FINALLY here in Michigan.  It was a long time coming.  Now we are enjoying long day on the lake.  This weekend was beautiful.  My babies sure do love to swim and be on the water!


On Saturday we had a birthday party for Taylor Marie (a week late).  I still cannot believe that my baby is one.  Waaahhhhh.....

The little sweetie had a great day celebrating at the lake with a BBQ, cake, and presents.  I sure so love her!!

Cuteness

Here I am again 4.5 months after my last post.....but I'm HERE!!  (not that I will have any readers HA).

My two big kids having fun in the tub.  They are just getting SOOO old.  Love them.

My BABY in the tub.  Sitting up all alone like a big girl for the first time.  8 months old!  She isn't much of a mover.  No crawling, not much rolling....but she's got sitting mastered.

 

Liv has been Loving dance class.  She is about 6 weeks in and IN LOVE.  Every morning she wakes up and says "is it dance class day?"

Cutie pies....

Taylor Marie is all smiles at Baby School.  She is a very social little thing, and just loves ppl.  Look at her...and she WILL smile.  It doesn't take much.

 

In other news....we are still in the midst of a POLAR VORTEX.  no kidding.  It is frigid.  Just painful to go outside.  I am dreaming of summer!!

Taylor Marie is 4 months old!!

My littlest is 4 months old already.  How does that happen so quickly?

She continues to be the best baby in the entire world (maybe I am biased).  She NEVER cries, always smiles, and just lights up our lives!

She is smiling, laughing, grabbing things, coo’ing.

She wakes up once or twice a night, but just to eat.

She wears a size 2 diaper.  Size 6 mo. clothing.  She eats about 3-4 oz. about every 3-4 hours.

She had her 4 month well visit this week and weighed in at a whopping 15lbs. 9 ox. (75^th percentile).  Her head measured 16 1/8 (25^th percentile) and she was 25 ½ inches tall (50^th percentile).

We just love this little muchkin!!