The house has been quiet this week the boys and Lindsay are in Ohio for the week. I will be joining the chaos that is 4 adults and 4 kids under the age of four, under one roof, later today. While it has been quiet I had some time to reflect on my family, my blessings.

To my boys:

Andrew,
You are my oldest son and I love you. You have a heart of gold. You care about others and love to help. Your are the definition of mommy’s little helper. Honestly, sometimes it would be easier just to get the job done but it would break your heart if you couldn’t help. So if it takes longer or I have to go back and fix whatever it is you helped with it’s worth it to let you bless others by helping. Whether its helping put pickles in the shopping cart, getting the mail, or putting away my dirty socks you always want to help. You will even pick up all your toys every night. Your reward, a vitamin. I guess one day you will learn a vitamin is a pretty lousy reward but helping others is always rewarding. I pray that you will always have the heart of a servant.
You also care for others. You remember when people have ouchies, and even dogs (Jasmine) and are sure to remind everyone. Just last week uncle Troy was leaving grandmom’s house and you went inside and started wheeling a tv stand out the door yelling for Uncle Troy to remember his tv stand. You remembered that he had brought the stand with him when he got to grandmom’s house and you didn’t want him to forget it. You show genuine concern for others. (Uncle Troy was actually returning it to grandmom but you were concerned for him none the less.)
Andrew you are a very polite little man. Some of your favorite words are please and thank you. You always remember to say thank you for a special treat. Sometimes we have to remind you but many times you will thank someone without prompting. One day grandmom brought you and Joshua a water table for the porch. While unloading the table you saw some Oreos in grandmom’s van. You asked for some and she let you have a couple. Sometime later when she was leaving you thanked her for the cookies. You kind of forgot to say thanks for the water table but you knew that the cookies were a special treat and you were thankful for them!
I pray that you will always want to serve others, you can change so many lives with the gifts God has given you. I love you Andrew.

Love,
Daddy


Joshua,
You are one crazy kid and I love you for that. You have an adventurous spirit. You don’t wait for help you just try anything. The other day we were playing hide and seek. Usually you are with me either hiding from or seeking Andrew. Well this time when I started counting you took off straight to the living room and hid between two large floor pillows that were stacked between the wall and couch. Thankfully we watched you go hid otherwise we probably wouldn’t have found you. You are the climber, the daredevil, the miscevious one. You have no fear (except for the vacuum). You will just walk into the pool without worrying if you have floaties on. You will climb up the play ground, get to the slide, turn around and just go. Sometimes you miss the actual slide and fall but you just do it. While you may have a slender frame you are a tough guy. You can take abuse from your older brother and not be phased. Of course you can dish it out as well. Along with being tough you can be a downright stinker. You always are getting into something, maybe its just your curiosity.
Even though you can be a stinker you are still the sweetest boy I know. Mommy calls you her “sweetness boy” and I agree 100%. Your smile can melt even the coldest of hearts. When I get home from work all you want to do is to have me hold you. You run up to me and wrap your arms around my legs and give them a big hug and won’t let go until I pick you up.
Like your older brother you are becoming quite the helper. You are now helping put away my stinky socks and picking up the toys, and you don’t even like your vitamins. I pray that you will continue to develop a servant’s heart. I pray that you will never lose your sense of adventure. It drives your mommy and I crazy now but I am thankful for your adventurous spirit. God can use you to do things that others will be too afraid to even try. I love you Joshua.

Love,
Daddy


Zachary,
I haven’t met you yet but I love you the same. I don’t know if you will be like Andrew or Joshua or completely different. I do know that God made you to be Zachary and I look forward to finding out what that means. You have already brought joy to our family and we haven’t even met you. I love you Zachary.

Love,
Daddy


To my wife:

Lindsay,
I love you so much. Thank you for doing the toughest job ever. Staying home with our kids is a job that is not rewarding most days. The kids never say, “great job mommy” and the pay is even worse. But the days you spend with them, teaching them how to treat others and love God will pay great dividends in the future. While we sacrifice to have you stay home the sacrifice is worth it. I know I don’t say thank you enough. Spending 12 hours a day raising our boys is not an easy job but I am indeed extremely grateful you are up to the challenge. As much as our boys are a blessing to us you are an even greater blessing to me. I love you Lindsay.

Love,
Your Husband

And it is……

We love the name that we have picked for our boy! I love the way Andrew, Joshua and Zachary all sound together. Zachary means “God remembers” and Thomas is after his Daddy’s middle name!

Spencer and I were able to go on a date night last night so after dinner we headed to the beach for a little beach belly photo shoot! Here is little Zachary at 22 weeks!

Andrew, Joshua, Zachary and I are headed to Ohio bright and early in the morning! Hopefully I will be able to post some updates of the all the fun times we are having while we’re there!

The past two weeks I have been taking advantage of “back to school” sales and buying ahead for the boys. It’s always weird to buy clothes that look so big knowing that the boys will fit them in a year!

Last weekend was tax-free weekend here in Florida so I went to our outlet mall and this is what I found! These shirts are all from Oshkosh, each for $2.99 a piece. These are really all the boys wear, all day, everyday – except for church on Sunday. $36 spent for a summers worth of shirts for two boys!

These are from Gymboree. Everything was $2.99 a piece.

These were by far the best deal. All of these are from the Children’s Place for $1.99 a piece! The best part is I had a store credit and spent a grand total of $0 and still have money on the store card!

And even though we have two boys worth of baby stuff already baby #3 has been getting new things of his own that are pretty darn cute!

Few things thrill me as much as a great deal

Long time, no see! Let me show you what we have been up to!

Saturday I went to a baby shower and the boys went to play with cousins and ended up in the dog cage….guess that’s what happens when Daddy is in charge!

Saturday afternoon I got to work on some little superhero capes!

Later that evening two of the cutest and bravest super heros around arrived at Grandmom’s house to save the day!

Monday night we made plans to go to the beach with Grandmom and Ally to play and then Daddy and Granddad were going to join us for dinner. We picked up Subway on the way out and stuck it in our cooler until it was time to eat. Imagine our surprise when we went to eat and our three foot-long subs were missing from our cooler!!!! Someone stole our food while we were in the water playing! So we packed up the starving children, drove back home, got more sandwiches and ate dinner around 7:45 that night! It’s funny now, but wasn’t funny at the time!

I have also been busy trying to get us ready for a two week trip to Ohio by making lists, doing laundry and packing. This morning I was trying jeans on the boys trying to find a pair that they could each take! It always makes me laugh when I put pants on the boys after they have been used to shorts all spring and summer! I hate that Joshua looks like such a big boy…I like to keep him in little sun suits and one-piece rompers for as long as I can!

Tonight when Daddy came home from work we played a little bit of hide-and-seek. Joshua is quite the little hider! The only way I knew where he was hiding was because I saw him sneak back there. He just sat there so quiet….never made a peep! Can you spot him?

Today is a very special day because it is (one of) my baby brother’s birthday! Matthew is the big 2-0 today! It makes me feel old that my little brother is now officially in his twenties! Happy Birthday Matthew, we can’t wait to see you and everyone else on Sunday!

Tomorrow is an exciting day that comes about every 8-10 weeks….I’m getting my hair hi-lighted! haha! The days leading up to my appointment I say to Spencer everyday, “I can’t WAIT to get my hair done!”

Make sure to check back on Saturday for a fun post where we will share the name we have picked for baby boy #3! Feel free to guess what you think it is…or what you think it should be (If you know his name already….don’t spoil the secret!!)

Things I am thankful for today…in no particular order

1. Two super sweet friends that successfully surprised me today with my current favorite thing….a Publix sub!

2. My in-laws pool, where we have spent many days the past few weeks swimming and completely exhausting the boys so they take GREAT naps!

3. The little clear part of the package on Tootsie Pops so I can make sure to get the bag with the least brown ones!

4. Airplanes, particularly the one that will take me and the boys to see my family in 10 days!

5. New bedding for Andrew, Joshua and baby boy that matches and means I get to start re-decorating!

6. Two little boys that seem just as excited as their mama about the new bedding!

7. Our cousin Ally, we have been spending a lot of great time with her and we love it!

8. Spencer. Daddy had to be out of town for 3 days this week and there’s nothing like a little absence to make you appreciate someone! We have the best daddy ever and are so glad he’s home safe!

Today we got to spend a few hours with my niece, Alexis. I figured she didn’t want to spend the afternoon at our house with a bunch of baby toys so I took everyone to the mall to get lunch and walk of some energy. There isn’t much left at the DeSoto Square Mall, but they still have Chick-fil-a! I love that place! I got the kids seated and went to get our food and as I was walking back an employee saw me with all the kids and offered to get us placemats and even stuck them to the table for us! After we finished she cleared our trash and offered to re-fill our drinks. Talk about helping a mom out!

Of course my munchkins had their eye on the little carousel the whole time we were eating so I let them play on the germ-infested thing for a bit

We walked down to Claire’s and Ally picked out a new necklace.

I attempted to browse Macy’s for a bit but the boys were done for the day. We loaded up in the car and were sufficiently sweaty so I pulled one more “treat” out of the bag and we headed to Sonic for a slush.

Andrew is Ally’s #1 fan right now and so he was sad to say goodbye but we had a great afternoon with her! I had tried to snap a few pictures of the boys before we left for lunch because I thought they looked so darn cute, but they aren’t much for posing right now! Here are some of the best!

This is what I call Joshua’s “stinky face!”

And…my lovely first born

Have a wonderful weekend!

Before we had any kids I had a great routine of doing my morning devotional/quiet time while eating breakfast. It was perfect, I had a quite house and time. I would read while eating then move the cereal bowl out of the way and then jot some notes and thoughts down. Then kids changed everything! Like so many areas of life this area changed drastically. When Andrew was first born he slept in past my normal quiet time and even if he did wake up early a bottle was all he needed but not anymore. Fast forward to today and now the boys are waking up earlier and there is more than just a bottle to warm up. Now it’s 3 bowls of cereal, 1 sliced bannana, 1 big boy cup of milk, 1 sippy cup of milk and 1 glass of OJ. Doesn’t sound to bad but this all must be done before the boys wake up (the free time I used to have in the mornings). Then when the boys wake up there are 2 diapers to change, 2 bibs to put on, and then the challenge of trying to minimize the amount of raisin bran that makes it to the floor. Combined this process takes up the time I used to have to myself. Andrew loves to talk and asks a question every 10.3 seconds. If I could focus for 8 seconds at a time and actually retain anything I guess it would still be possible to have devotions at breakfast but it would definitely not be considered “quiet time.”

So, I have tried to fit quiet time in different times of the day, on my lunch break, after the kids go to bed, right before I go to bed, nothing seems to work like first thing, well after my shower, in the morning. After letting this struggle go on for wayyyyyyy to long I decided to go to bed earlier and set my alarm little earlier so I could get my quiet time and breakfast ready before the boys wake up. That was Thursday night. So far I have had 2 successful mornings. That’s 2 for 5 if you are keeping score. Not exactly the batting average I was looking for. However, I am not discouraged because I know I am on the right track. I know this since the number one way to know you’re on the right track spiritually is that something will always try to mess you up. Now this is not quoted from the Bible but the truth is that if you aren’t trying to do what God wants you to do then the devil has no reason to disrupt the routine. But if you are, then watch out! My routine has been disrupted.

Both Andrew and Joshua are great sleepers, sleeping from 8pm to 7:30am. Like clock work for months. So the first night after I decide to set my alarm early and get up and focus on quiet time with God Joshua wakes up screaming at 4:30am and the screaming wakes up Andrew. I get them both calmed down and and back in bed by 4:50. Not too bad, I can still get up on time. But I never really went back to sleep, I kept watching the clock and then Joshua wakes up again at 5:30. This time there was no quick visit to the room. Somehow both boys made it out of the room and onto the couch and our bed. We virtually never do this so the boys just toss and turned keeping me (and Lindsay) wake. Since the boys were already wake any type of quiet time was out the window. Day one ruined.

Day two was a Saturday and the only day of the week my alarm gets turned off. So needless to say the boys slept fine because I wasn’t planning a quiet time that morning.

Day 3. Again Joshua wakes up early, about 6:50am, around the same time I am getting out of the shower to begin my quiet time. You can imagine how successful I was on Day 3. Going 0 for 3 and stumbling out of the starting gate I did not give up.

Days 4 & 5 have been great. I have woken up early and had a great quiet time with my Bible and God. I am working on getting up earlier but I need to ease into it. I have not been as successful as I hope to be on getting to bed earlier. But I can’t blame that on the boys

As for the study I thought it would be cool to jump start this new time with something completely new and different. A new way to read the Bible. So I am doing everything from my iPhone loaded with the Bible app from YouVersion.com. There are some really cool things you can do with a digital Bible that you can’t do with the traditional book version. I’m not sure how this experiment will work but I look forward to finding out. Look for another post about my experience with the “digital Bible” in the next couple of weeks.

Note: this post was written earlier in the week just not published until Friday.

Wednesday randomness #1 – Don’t you hate it when you make a cake and have this thing of chocolate beauty sitting on your counter just calling your name? And then there’s the waste game…you don’t want to WASTE it so instead you eat it all….by yourself….in three days. (I may or may not be speaking from experience!) Well I have the solution!

This little boy in my belly makes me crave something sweet every evening so it’s important to have something on hand but not too easily accessible to fulfill that chocolate craving.

So start by making a batch of cupcakes. Once they are cooled, select the ones that you need to run a quality control test on and then take the rest and put them in the freezer. Frost your test ones and consume them with a 1/2 gallon of milk. Then place your frosting in the fridge.

Here’s the big secret. The next night when it’s time for that chocolate fix, take 1 (maybe 2) cupcakes from the freezer and put a spoonful of your frosting from the fridge on top.

Then microwave them for 20 seconds and BAM! You have warm gooey cupcakes like they are just out of the oven!

Problem solve, crisis averted! (If at this point you have to stop reading to go make cupcakes, I understand!)

Wednesday randomness #2 – Andrew has always loved helping in the kitchen. Muffins and pancakes are his specialty. Well Joshua is now of age that he doesn’t like to be left out so I now have two little helpers in the kitchen! There’s nothing like two cutie pies keeping careful watch over their muffins!

Wednesday randomness #3 – Observe the boys new favorite place to chill.

Wednesday randomness #4 – Tonight before bed the boys were sitting so sweetly with me on the couch. I asked daddy to snap some pictures and they starting jumping around like monkeys. What does a momma have to do to get a decent picture with her children?

Wednesday randomness #5 – My oven has been busy baking…..ribbon! Working on some of my new favorite craft, korker bows! We are going to Ohio in 2 1/2 weeks and I need to make sure I am loaded up with goodies for miss Caroline!

Happy Wednesday!

Today I had my 19 week check-up and everything looks great! I knew I had 19 week pictures from when I was pregnant with Andrew and Joshua so I thought it would be fun to compare!

19 Weeks with Andrew

19 Weeks with Joshua

19 Weeks with baby #3

We have had a great weekend just the four of us! We started Friday night with Spencer’s kickball tournament. He had a game at 6:30 and if they won they had a game at 8:30. Well the whole team was there and ready to play at 6:30 and the other team never showed up! So it was an automatic win for us and we were left with 2 hours to waste before the next game. The boys go to bed at 8 but I really wanted to see the game so we decided to go to McDonald’s for a treat and then come back in time for the game.

Our boys love to run, play and most importantly….get DIRTY! After rolling around in the clay for a few hours their bath water was a nice shade of brown! God sure has a sense of humor giving me three boys

Saturday morning we went swimming at Spencer’s parents house and thoroughly wore the boys out. We came home to eat lunch and Joshua was so exhausted he was sleep-eating! *Disclaimer – we did not let him stay like this, we took a picture and scooped the food from his mouth so he wouldn’t choke

On Saturday afternoon we had the idea to make a tent for the boys to play in. I thought we would throw a blanket over the table or something, but Spencer decided to go all out and make a really cool tent

Then something must have come over me because I suggested we eat dinner in our tent….messes are my biggest challenge and I just kept reminding myself that if something went terribly wrong that it was my idea Thankfully we made it out without any huge messes!

We cleaned up from dinner and read some books.

After we got the boys to bed I headed to Target to make a return and scored some deals.

We are in the process of planning a room-switch with the boys. We are going to put all three munchkins in the master and we are going to move to their room. We have two cribs and will be getting a twin bed for Andrew to move into. I am going to work with the furniture we have but I am going to re-do the bedding and some of the decor. When I found two sets of crib bedding for $16 a piece, I figured Spencer would agree that it was in the budget! I also picked up a new sleeper for little dude for $2.50 and the polo romper at TJ Maxx for $10.00!

This morning we had a great time of worship at church and then came home for lunch. We decided to go on a bike adventure this afternoon. We got Subway and went to GT Bray to eat and let the boys play. It was SO HOT! I am so ready for a break from this humidity! As we were leaving the park Andrew said to Spencer, “look Daddy, it’s a diamond” as he held his hands up in a diamond shape! He shocks us with some of the stuff he knows! This may sound silly but the one cartoon he watches in the morning is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and I know he is learning some of this stuff from it!

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

Today has been a quiet day around our house. I have some sort of stomach bug that has forced me to do some bonding with the couch and thankfully the boys have been great about playing by themselves so I can rest. It’s late in the afternoon and I have managed to stomach a popsicle and a peach. Poor baby boy is kicking me in the stomach as if to say, “Momma, please feed me something!”

Anyways, the title for this post came to mind two days ago when we were riding in the car and Andrew said something that just made me laugh. I had the thought to sit and write down some of the funny things he has said lately so I can remember them forever!

Andrew Spencer at 2 years & 4 months old ~

• After sitting at a stop light next to another car the light turns green and we both start to go, apparently I wasn’t going fast enough because Andrew said, “Mommy! That car is beeding (beating) us!”

• One morning during breakfast I told Andrew that I had bought tickets for us to go see our family in Ohio and I asked him if he knew how we were going to get there, his response. “On a paceship (spaceship!) To finity and yeond! (To infinity and beyond)

• I went in to get the boys up from naps and greeted them by saying, “Hello, sweet boys!” Andrew responded with, “Hello, sweet Momma! You’re booful!” (beautiful)

• After discovering that he had done something that deserved a discipline Andrew held up his hand to me and says, “I have my discipline here.” (Wanting to avoid having it on his rear end!)

• We had eaten snacks in the car one afternoon and Andrew left his snack bowl there. After discovering it a few days later he says, “Mommy, I want some cratoons (croutons) in my bowl and eat them in the libin’ room (living room) and watch Petting Farm.”

• Talking about the baby on the way I asked him what we should call the baby, after a second he said, “Blueberry!”

• Daddy was talking about people’s names and he asked Andrew what he calls me, “Daddy calls Mommy on the phone!”

• Andrew was put in his crib one day for whining and was told that we would come talk to him when he had settled down. After a few seconds we could hear him calling out, “Daddy, I’m done whining now!”

• We did video chat with my grandparents in Ohio one afternoon and I explained to him about how they live in Ohio and we are going to go see them. Then I asked if he remembered his Mimi. I told him that Mimi was my mommy but that she lives in Heaven now with Jesus. He thought for a minute and said, “Oh, Mimi’s with Uncle Kevin!”

• In response to almost any question asked his current thing is to start with, “Um, actually….”

Until about a month ago Joshua hardly ever said things. We have him clap his hands to say, “please” and “more” but other than that he didn’t have much interest in talking. But the past few weeks we have noticed him saying more and more words. Joshua at 16 months old says ~

• sshhhsss (shoes)

• bye bye

• Papa (he uses this for Spencer’s grandpa and my grandpa)

• peeshhh (please)

• when asked what a duck says he can respond with, “caak, caak!”

• obaaa (obey)

• he will imitate any funny noises we make like blowing his lips or making a “roar” if we are talking about lions or tigers

I am sure that in a year he will be saying some funny things just like his big brother! There are sure to be many funny quotes to share with three little boys in the house!

I took these pictures today after naps. The boys both sleep with a blanket and a sippy cup with water for nighttime and naps. But sometimes the end up with multiple blankets and/or sippy cups in the bed. What cracks me up is that when I go into get them they both insist on bringing everything out with them, Andrew is usually standing there with an armload of stuff waiting to be picked up. Today when I was getting Joshua he was sitting down with a sippy in each arm staring at his two blankets trying to figure out how he was going to carry those too! I just laughed as I threw a blanket over each of his shoulders and hoisted him and all his loot out of bed! haha

Well if you read our post about the Intelligender test you already know that it predicted a baby BOY! We are thrilled to share that the test was… (answer below pictures)

…RIGHT!!!!

We will be welcoming another sweet, HEALTHY little Blunden boy to the family! We got to see him suck his thumb and show off for us today at the ultrasound. We got some awesome pictures that we will upload later today!

Thank you for sharing this joy with us, we are so thankful the Lord has given us another healthy baby!

The ultrasound technician was kind enough to do a couple 3D pictures for us. She said that usually babies have their heads buried but his was right in front so she could get a good view. Since he is so small she couldn’t get a perfect shot but its was neat to see his little face. Both Spencer and I looked at each other instantly and said he looked like Joshua.  We will know in a few months!

The back of his head isn’t really cut off, it’s just where the scan stopped (in case you were wondering;-) )

S’more Please

Well tomorrow is our big ultrasound for baby #3! I am so excited I can hardly stand it! With both boys and this baby the days leading up to the ultrasound are torture…and the drive to Sarasota is even worse! (I get butterflies just thinking about it!) It is just so exciting to go and see that baby on the screen, and hopefully see what it is! It’s always amazing to see a fully formed little baby that is only about a pound moving and kicking around like crazy!

About 6 weeks ago Intelligender sent me one of their at-home tests to try out and share my results. Intelligender is a urine-based test that is supposed to tell you the gender of your baby! You can do it as early as 10 weeks and results are about 90% accurate. I was so excited to take the test and possibly find out early what this baby will be!

The test was very simple to do and the instructions were very clear. You take the test first thing in the morning by *ahem* peeing in the cup provided, filling the syringe to the line and injecting it into the test tube which has little crystal-like things on the bottom. Then you swirl it for ten seconds and let it sit for 5 minutes. The solution will turn yellow/orange for girl and blue/green for boy!

Want to know what Intelligender says we’re having?!?!?!?!

Check back tomorrow to see if it’s right!!!!

A few weeks ago we bought a trailer to tote the kids around behind my bike, also know as our buggy. This week I took the boys on a ride so Lindsay could run some errands without two little rug rats in-tow. Andrew loves to see school buses (Joshua does too he just can say “school bus” yet). So my plan was to go down the street and ride by the school buses at Bradenton Christian School then go to GT Bray to enjoy the park. After looking at the school buses we turned around and were on our way to the park. Before leaving BCS I was curious to see if the playground was open so we rode on the sidwalk to the gate. The gate was open! Why ride to GT Bray when there was a playground right here, right? So I parked the buggy and we went to play. After playing for a couple minutes of playing I saw it.

The dragon with a little orange hat. Instantly had I flashbacks to my early school days. While much of the playground has changed over the years there are a couple pieces of equipment still there  from when I was in elementary school. One of those pieces is the dragon, actually I think its a snake or maybe the loch ness monster, but I will call it a dragon. I won’t say how many years have passed since my elementary school days but let’s just say that I have already had my 10 year high school reunion, a few years ago…

When I saw the dragon face my mind was filled with memories of this old playground. It’s not something I think of often but the dragon triggered memories of recesses playing on that equipment. Equipment I drive past every week but haven’t stopped to notice for over a decade. It’s great to remember the days when being able to run around outside for 15 minutes was all you needed to have a great day.  A little dirt and sweat before going back to the air conditioned classroom for the afternoon. Oh, and there is nothing better than air conditioning after playing hard. It didn’t matter how hot it was we just wanted to get out an be free. Adults seem to always be concerned with the weather, but as kids we don’t care, we just want to PLAY!

While we were there I captured a little video. You can probably guess the equipment I use to play on. Enjoy.

Spencer

Updated with a little less shaky version

I’m back with more crafty things to share! If you saw my last post on the loopy bow then you saw this link where I got the original instructions.

Start with the ribbon of your choice, dowel rods and clothes pins. Wrap your ribbon around the rods and secure at the end with clothes pins.

Bake in the oven at 275 for 25 minutes. When you remove the clothes pins and dowel rods the ribbon will hold it’s shape.

Cut your ribbons to desired length (mine were about 3 inches) and heat seal the ends.

Using a needle and thread string each ribbon through the middle. Do this with all ribbons. When you are finished it will look like this.

Go back thorough and make the middle of the ribbon flat enough to pull the thread tight and then take the needle and thread back and forth a few times to secure the bow. Add a hair clip to the back and you have yourself an adorable korker bow!

Last Friday was grocery shopping day. I planned my menu for the next 2 1/2 weeks, double checked the pantry, fueled the boys up on some Wendy’s and we headed to the store. When we got home from the store it was naptime for the boys so I decided to get wild and crazy and cook up 3 of the meals I had purchased, separate and freeze them providing us with 6 frozen dinners! Imagine Spencer’s surprise when he got home from work to a trashed kitchen, 3 different meals cooking and me telling him not to get too excited because frozen pizza was on the menu that night! haha

This first recipe is a frozen favorite of mine. My mother-in-law fixed it for us when I had Joshua and it was so nice to pull it out of the freezer, put it in the oven and not have to cook!

Chicken Caesar Casserole

2 C cooked and cut up chicken

2 C cooked penne pasta

3/4 C creamy caesar dressing

1/2 C chicken broth

1/3 C chopped green onions

1/4 C chopped red pepper

1 1/2 C shredded mozzarella

crushed croutons (if desired)

Mix your cooked chicken and cooked pasta with all ingredients except the croutons and freeze it! If it looks a little dry add extra chicken broth/caesar dressing. If you aren’t freezing it just top with the crushed croutons and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. If freezing just thaw and then top with croutons and bake.

(I doubled this recipe and froze it in two dishes to make two meals. I also cut up the all the left over red pepper and green onion and measured them out and stuck them in a freezer bag to use in the future!)

This is what it looks like before it’s baked.

In my last post I talked about making a tutu for my niece’s 3rd birthday gift. On the website where I found the tutu tutorial (say that 3 times fast!) I also found some tutorials on adorable little hairbows! I immediately raided my stash of ribbons so I could try some out to send to my sweet niece Caroline!

I followed this tutorial for a loopy bow, but I am going to show you a quick version with pictures I took.

I started with five 8 inch pieces, four 7 inch pieces and four 6 inch pieces. (I had made one more layer but I thought it was going to be too big so I left one layer out.)

Using a lighter, heat seal all your ends. Take all your ribbons and stack them in the order you want and fold in half.

Take a needle and thread and run it through the middle of the folded ribbon.

Then fan our your ribbon in a star shape.

This is the tricky part. Pick up your ribbon and make sure that if you have patterned ribbon that it is facing down. Holding the center take one ribbon at a time and fold it in to create a flower shape.

Once all the ribbons are looped, take your needle and run it through all the ribbons a few times back and forth to make sure it’s secure.

Do this to make as many layers as you want. (Remember, I made four layers, but left out the largest one.)

Then just hot glue your layers together, add a decorative button and hair clip to the back and you have a cute loopy bow!

I am still on the hunt for a little buckeye button to finish the red and white bow so Caroline can sport it with her Ohio State gear this fall. Stay tuned for more recipes and the instructions for the korker bow in the above picture!

Today we celebrated my niece, Taylor’s 3rd birthday! I wanted to do more than just buy her a gift and when my mother-in-law mentioned that she loved reading the book Fancy Nancy, I knew exactly what I could do!

I knew the basics of tutu making but looked up this tutorial and it helped me figure out sizing and length. I started with about 6 yards of tulle in the colors I wanted cut into strips.

Then you double it over and loop it around your elastic.

The instructions mentioned not to pull it tight until you had all your strips put on. This was very helpful because the elastic did stretch out quite a bit and I ended up taking about 6 inches off from the size I started with. I found a wand and headband at JoAnn’s that matched my theme and made them “fancy” too! Here is the finished product.

I managed to get a picture with the birthday girl after all the gifts were opened.

Happy Birthday, Taylor! I hope you enjoy being fancy!

A few weekends ago we found a great deal on a bike trailer on Craig’s List for the boys. We had talked about getting two individual bike seats but I didn’t think I felt comfortable to have one on the back of my bike in case I crash! Maybe one of these days I will feel brave enough to try and pull them myself. One thing’s for sure, 30 lbs of bike trailer + 32 lbs of Andrew + 22 lbs of Joshua will make for one serious leg workout!

We have taken it out a few times and really enjoyed it! I like that you can go farther faster than you can just walking. We have also enjoyed dropping in on a few friends/family to visit while out on our biking adventures…watch out, you might be next!

I have been using my MIL’s bike because I actually don’t have one, I guess that’s going to be a requirement if we are going to become a legit biker family On Monday night the boys helped Spencer hook it up and he took them for a quick ride to his parent’s house so I could have a few minutes alone!

Right now baby Blunden #3 is the size of an avocado! He/she is even growing toenails Two weeks from today is the big ultrasound to make sure baby looks healthy and hopefully see if Andrew and Joshua are getting a little “brudder” or “thither!”

I have been feeling pretty good although I don’t feel like I really have my second trimester energy yet. With both boys I was fairly sick from weeks 7-13 and then BAM I felt fine and could have run a marathon everyday I had so much energy. Maybe it’s waiting for the third trimester this time

So far I have gained 5 pounds. I am still wearing most of my regular clothes, some are getting a little snug but maternity is still too big. I can remember with Andrew being so excited to start wearing maternity clothes but now I know what those last few weeks are like when you can’t wait to be back in your normal clothes….so I’ll hold of as long as I can!

I could list you everything I am craving but that’s a post all it’s own! Let’s just say that most everything sounds good!

Here I am at 16 weeks and a few days!

If  you haven’t already voted on the gender poll feel free to do so!