Early Easter for Adalyn

We've been super busy around the Marchbank house! With easter coming up and warm weather gracing us with it's presence we have been outside A LOT!! We have also been spending a lot of time with our new friends, the Borens. Since Adalyn hasn't take those amazing first steps yet the only thing she can do by herself at the park is swing. While I love driving down to the park with her I thought this would be much more convenient:

Now I know what you're thinking... Jimmy Johnson?! Where is DALE?! We have become quite the Jimmy fans in his house, but no worries. Momma still loves her some JR.

Which is why this ride rocks the 88!

SOoOOooo... little story... Adalyn and mommy wanted to go swing this morning and to our surprise we found a package from Great Grandma Soni and Grandpa Marchbank on the front porch.

Needless to say, she had some fun tonight!

Puppy!

Shaking Bunny!

Her Favorite: BOOKS!!

Oooh grass :)

Who needs clothes when I've got books!

Spoiled Much? Nah!

THANK YOU so much for all the gifts! She loves them and enjoyed them so very much. What a way to get pumped up for Easter! I can't wait to share Jesus Christ with her and explain the reason we celebrate the season!



Spring Fever!

We around the Marchbank house have spring fever! Mother nature keeps tempting us with these random 80 degree days, and up until today Adalyn only had one pair of shorts and one short sleeve shirt. When we went outside to get the mail today....BAM! This little package of goodies was waiting for Adalyn :) compliments of her mami!

We are huge supporters of The Children's Place

How freakin cute are these shoes?! I want some!

And of course, she would have just been happy to have the tags!

The Children's Place also sent some coupons (MY FAVORITE) to use until April 16th so we'll have to make our trip to the outlet mall before then. Last time we went it was PACKED. We had to go back after the mad rush. Everything in the store was 3.99 and 4.99... NO JOKE! Let's hope we get just as lucky this time! This time we have some new shopping buddies too :) Adalyn and Kynzlee have had regular play dates lately. Who am I kidding, Megan and I have had regular play dates lately! Scott has been super busy the past couple weeks (when is he not?) so we havent seen much of him. And he switched shifts again so we say goodnight at 2 in the afternoon (NOT FUN). But it's nice to have some adult conversation and someone to hang out with now on a regular basis. Adalyn is VERY close to walking. She is just very GO GO GO and has no patience for taking the time to learn how to walk. She looks at me like, "let me crawl mom. i could get there so much faster if you'd just let go!" She is pulling herself up on anything and everything. Even the wall! She is super fast. You blink and she is in the other room. I just can't believe she has grown up so fast. She has recently discovered her books and likes to flip the pages and "read" them.

Did you know the Mega Millions is over 300 million tonight? Thanks to Ellen, I did! Adalyn and I went down and bought 5 tickets. She gave them kisses... fingers crossed! 

77 and SUNNY!

We had a beautiful day here in Windsor, MO. Megan and I took the kids to church this morning. I'm always nervous about leaving Adalyn places for fear that she'll start screaming. As we were listening to the service I kept checking the pager. It NEVER went off! In fact, Adalyn was mad and cried when she had to leave all the new kids and toys. After church we had mexican. Adalyn loves the beans... who am i kidding, adalyn loves anything you put in her mouth! Then we rushed back home to see daddy before he had to go back to work. We had another shift change again. And then we went to the park... check it out!

the child has no fear!

growing up entirely too fast

D-I-V-A

Now excuse me while I bawl my eyes out watching Army Wives and Coming Home!

Friction and Fords

Daddy got a new truck! We finally got another vehicle since turning in my lease. Nothing special, just an old F150 work truck. You know my hubsand though, he'll make it pretty in no time. He's already talking about tires, a new bench seat, bed liner, tailgate, etc. etc. He definately loves his cars.

Here is Adalyn about to take it for a spin!

Or so she thinks!

What else is new in the world of Adalyn you might ask? Well her hair is finally starting to grow. Check out the friction hair after her morning nap!

I told her she looked like she got struck by lightening. Silly girl. Yesterday we spent most of the day walking around the house. She got a new walking toy a few weeks ago and has really gotten the hang of doing it by herself. Even though she has been eating "grown up" food for a few months now we started third foods today. She really loved the broccoli and carrots with cheese and the chicken and noodle dinner. We also discovered the gerber dices

The carrots were okay but the apples in grape juice were a huge hit! They were completely sold out last time we went to the store and lucky us they just restocked them right before we hit the baby food isle. These pre-diced fruits and veggies are super convenient when I am in a hurry and don't have time to cut up a banana or cook a vegetable. I also enjoy how she still gets to eat apple, but I dont have to worry about her choking on some skin or being able to chew it up well enough to get it down. These dices are very soft and since they are soaked in white grape juice they taste even better! OKay okay I was eating them too. We also graduated to size 4 diapers! She can still fit into the size 3 but her little plumbers crack is usually free for the world to see.

Today was another beautiful day. Adalyn and I headed down to Cole Camp to do a little antique shopping. She did so well in the stores and didnt try to touch anything. I was a very proud momma :)
We ended up buying a red star for the front of the house. It was looking a little bare without the holiday wreaths that have been hanging up. I still havent found my old dutch oven that I have been looking for, but I did see a cast iron skillet I might have to go back and snag. I could spend hours in antique stores. Hours and hours and hours.... gotta love em.

It's only Saturday but I hope you all had/dave a wonderful weekend and a blessed Sunday.

Craft Blog!

Be sure to follow my craft BLOG as well for cool things like this:

And hats like these!



Give Me 2 Steps, Give Me 2 Steps Mister...

...give me 2 steps towards the door! Or in our case the coffee table :) Adalyn took two steps yesterday! I think she did it purely on accident and it scared both her and I. She was standing up holding onto her walker and took two steps to the coffee table! I am definately not ready for her to be such a big girl  :(

Speaking of being such a big girl, today is her 9 month birthday! Where in the world did 9 months go?! I'd like to take a minute and reflect:

Now if that doesnt give you baby fever I dont know what else will! I seriously don't know where 9 months went. I wish I could rewind and live it all over again. Adalyn is such a smart baby and amazes me everyday with the things she learns. It is so neat to watch her brain work as she mimics the things I do. The past couple nights have been rough sleep wise. Little miss is getting another tooth on the top and boy does it hurt! I think she was up every three hours last night. Good news is that she is still in her crib! Yay for Mommy and Daddy! She has the bed time routine down pat. Repetition is key and she loves brushing her teeth. She puckers up her lips and waits for me to wipe her mouth and then goes in for a goodnight kiss :) I don't even have to ask for it anymore! That's how smart she is!

The past couple of weeks she has been trying to talk! Her vocabulary now consists of "Mama" "Dada" "Baba" (she doesnt have a bottle so im assuming this is just baby jibberish!) and of course shakes her head NO! We are definately in trouble with that one.

A little over a week ago we met some new people! Scott has a new troop and he and his wife have an 18 month old baby girl named Kynzlee. She is adorable! We have hung out a few times already and Megan is one of those people you feel like you've known your whole life. God definately has blessed us with them! It's hard to have friends that don't have kids because you (well I) always feel guilty if Adalyn cries or wines or throws a fit or needs to eat. I'm always apologizing and feel like we are an inconvenience. It's nice when others have been in your same shoes and can relate to the feeling. (Don't get me wrong, I love you Jessica Tripp and Rachel Manwarren!) And they are the same age as us so that always helps! Adalyn and I both need to start interacting with others more often. We are starting to get cabin fever from being inside all winter!!

MEET KYNZLEE

Yes, She's a bow head too! Don't judge us. Our kids are just too cute!

Anywhoo, Adalyn and I are looking forward to warm weather. The zoo is calling our names! And of course the pool, the waterpark, the park, the outdoor malls, cookouts, long walks on the katy trail and much much more! P.S. I only have three months left to plan this birthday party!

Decorating on a Budget!

I LOVE love love pictures! I am always taking them. We get adalyn's done every three months. Her milestone photos for the first year. We go to JCPenny every time because we have a portrait membership with them. The membership was a one time fee of $30 and then we get free sittings for two years. The sittings are $10 a person so it definately pays for itself right away! Then I always use a coupon that lets me mix and match from the options of 8 x 10, 10 x 13, (2) 5 x 7, a sheet of wallets, and some other options. These are all $3.99 a sheet. Overall we end up spending around $40-$50 each time and I get a lot of pictures to send to relatives and friends. With the extras I found some $2 picture frames at dollar general and I've been putting them up all over the house.

This little collage in her nursey cost me $18 (photos and frames) and it adds so much to her room! 

I finally transformed the upstairs wall in the hallway into this little number :)

A combination of things gathered over the years. Up in the top left hand corner is a framed piece of artwork that sam drew for Scott. I'm pretty sure it's the B-2 Spirit of Indiana. I LOVE framed artwork. I have two pieces of artwork that Adalyn created when we finger painted at Christmas time that are waiting for frames and to be put on the downstairs living room wall.  

You can always check out websites such as SHUTTERFLY and VISTAPRINT for great deals on prints. They are always giving away free prints and photo gifts. I filled a whole entire photo album of the first 3 months of Adalyn's life from the free prints I got off of shutterfly!

Bye! Bye! Baby Food!

Even though Adalyn is just shy of 9 months old she no longer wishes to eat baby food! The past few weeks she has been dabbling in "real" food and no longer wants to eat her bland ol baby food. This makes me kinda sad but she has two teeth already so I guess it's time to let go of the baby food. Today we had spaghetti for lunch!

I am a pro at "arms up" now! All thanks to mom and your baby can read :) She gets so excited when she learns something new that she claps for herself. It's TOO cute!

Hide-N-Seek

After breakfast this morning I wiped Adalyn's face and hands and set her down with her toys. I went into the kitchen for a quick second to throw away the wipe and came back and she was NOT in the living room. She is SO quick! For a second I couldn't find her and then I looked under her favorite spot (the dining room table) and found this:

Then she proceeded to play in the chair for a good 10 minutes!

She grows more and more everyday! It's crazy to see the intellectual changes that happen in just a weeks time. I can't believe in just 4 months she will be a year old! Time to start party planning ;)

Pork Chop Yumminess

Is yumminess a word?! It is now! My husband and mother can both tell you I am not a fan of pork chops. So you can imagine my husbands reaction when we went to the grocery store last week and I tossed a package of center cut bone-in pork chops in the cart. "You're buying pork chops?!" "Yes, yes I am."

This wonderful recipe has changed the way I think about pork chops. A few weeks ago I attempted to make a white wine reduction sauce based on what little I could remember from the food network. Needless to say I failed, miserably. It tasted aweful! I think my mistake was not letting it reduce enough. Anywho, this dijon mustard and herb sauce was FANTASTIC! I got the recipe from my new favorite blog which can be found HERE.

Recipe:

• 4-6 Center cut bone-in pork chops
• 1 tbsp butter (i used light butter)
• 3/4 cup chicken stock (low sodium)
• Half a medium onion
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 3-4 tbsp chopped fresh herbs
• Salt and Pepper

Now lets talk pork chops. The boneless pork chops you get at the grocery store are usually a few inches thick and take a while to cook. For this recipe I recommend the bone-in pork chops that are about an inch in thickness. While they may not be as filling, the bone gives the meat more flavor! Begin by seasoning with salt and pepper then cooking the pork chops in 1 tbsp of light butter (olive oil would be an even healthier choice). After about 7 minutes turn and cook the other side for another 7 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the chops. Internal temp. should be 160 degrees. Be careful as it is very easy to overcook thin pork chops such a these. Once the pork chops are done, place them on a platter and set aside to rest.

Turn the heat up to a medium/high heat. Add the onion, chicken stock and dijon to the same pan you cooked the pork chops in. After about 2-3 minutes throw in the chopped herbs (i used parsley and cilantro) and simmer for another 1-2 mintues. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Once the sauce has reduced to about a half a cup pour over pork chops and serve!

Trust me, this is a super delicious way to make pork chops. Especially for picky eaters like myself! It also takes under 20 minutes to put dinner on the table.

I served this with brown rice and corn. ENJOY!

WW Spinach Lasagna Rolls

I stumbled upon this wonderful blog full of easy weight watcher recipes. Most recipes you find online these days say they are "easy" recipes, but are chock full of crazy ingredients you've never heard of let alone find in a grocery store! I decided to make this next week a weight watchers week in our house starting with tonight. We had the spinach and ricotta lasagna rolls. My husband's first reaction: "there isn't any meat in this?" Typical male response.

For those of you who know me, you know I don't eat very many vegetables. I have been trying to change that because Adalyn learns by example so I think it's high time I start leading.

Here's the recipe:

• 9 Lasagna noodles, cooked
• 15 oz. Ricotta cheese, fat free
• 30 oz. Tomato sauce
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzerella
• 9 oz spinach, thawed and drained
• Salt and pepper

I tweaked her recipe just a tad! First thaw a 9 oz box of frozen spinach and strain it in a kitchen towel. You can use cheese cloth if you have it. Then mix together the spinach, ricotta, parm, salt, pepper and egg in a bowl. After cooking the noodles, use parchment paper as a working surface and spoon the ricotta mixture onto each noodle. In a 9x13 baking dish spread half the tomato sauce. Roll each noodle and place into sauce. The recipe calls for 9 noodles, however, I only used 8 in the dish. This worked out great because one of the noodles broke in pieces during the cooking process so it was wonderful to have a back up!

Once you have rolled all noodles, pour the remaining tomato sauce over the top and add a tsp. of shredded mozzerella to each roll. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 40 minutes, covered.

YUM! I was able to do this while Adalyn was napping and it took no time at all. I popped it into the fridge and when Scott got home from work all I had to do was stick it in the oven.

It's a Nice Day for a White Wedding!

Another whirlwind weekend passed as we ventured back to good ol' Indiana for my brothers wedding. It was a beautiful service and we wish you both the best of luck!

This was the first time in a LONG time that all of us kids were in one place together! It seems like every family function someone is missing for some reason. I loved seeing both my brothers and my sister and wish we got more time together.

Adalyn was super sick the whole time. While she is feeling MUCH better I wasn't sure if she, or I for that matter, was going to make it. She spent some quality time with grandma Marchbank, Aunt Jaime and Uncle Sam while Scott and I went to the rehearsal dinner and ceremony. When she finally made it to the reception all she wanted was mommy. After calming down her chubby little legs hit the dance floor! Thanks again to our wonderful family for putting up with her sickly fussiness.