Girl's Night Out and Soup!

Last week we had our monthly girl's night out!  I love getting to sit and talk with the other ladies in our sunday school class.  It is so nice to just get out for a bit and catch up with everybody!

As usual, Noah was my little sidekick!  He did pretty well.  I had to hold him most of the time, but he's so cute I don't mind.  There's always an open set of arms to hold Noah so I can eat or whatever!

Aren't the trees around her house beautiful?!!

 

Stephanie had cute mason jars and some yummy blueberry tea for us!

This night we had a soup night.  It was great with fall right around the corner!  We had different soups and all the fixins' to go with them.

 

I saved the best for last!  I was so happy that Kacy brought bread bowls for our soups!  I made one of my favorite soups of all time.  I posted it last year on the blog and I only make it once or twice a year because it's made out of heavy cream...no wonder it's so good!

I found this recipe from Taste of Home magazine and it is pretty easy, but tastes so yummy on a cold night.  I thought it went wonderfully with the bread bowl from Panera!

Creamy Tortellini Soup

• 1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini


• 2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) reduced-sodium condensed tomato soup, undiluted


• 2 cups vegetable broth


• 2 cups 2% milk


• 2 cups half-and-half cream


• 1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes


• 1 teaspoon onion powder


• 1 teaspoon garlic powder


• 1 teaspoon dried basil


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese


• Additional shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions

• Cook tortellini according to package directions.


• Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. Drain tortellini; carefully add to soup. Stir in cheese. Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if desired. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

*I know I made this last year and froze it and it thawed out and tasted just fine later on.  Make a double batch and freeze some for this winter!

*I also hand grated a block of parmesean cheese instead of buying it shredded!

Happy Halloween Y'all!

Have a SUPER Happy Halloween!

Don't even ask me why they're all the same thing for Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch '11

A few weekends ago we decided to do the pumpking patch since we had grandparent back-up!  It's always a little easier (and more fun!) when you've got family in town to help you out a bit!  We packed up and drove to a pumpking patch that we had heard about in Missouri.  It was worth the drive!  This place was awesome!  It was WAY out but the boys had THE best time.  I would love to go back soon.  They're open until sometime in November!  It was a really fun day of memories!

When we got there, Matthew and Noah were asleep, so I sat in the car with them while JM, Jordan and Gaga went to ride Ali the pony!  JM loves to ride horses, so he had a great time riding this one!

They also had a HUGE jumpy thing for the kids to bounce on.  It's hard to describe, but it's almost built into the ground and it is so big!  Even with lots of kids jumping on it, there was room for all of them!  He really enjoyed jumping on this giant bouncy!  After he jumped they met back up with us at the car and we got water, changed diapers, fed the baby, and applied sunscreen.  I swear it felt like the middle of summer out there that day.  It was so hot!  I'm glad I still had a random bottle of suncreen in the trunk!

 

The first thing we stopped off at was a slide that was built into the ground.  The boys got a little burlap bag and stood in line so nicely!  They waited their turn and then slid down the hill.

We did this a ton of times!

While JM did the slide, Matthew found the little pumpkin basketball game.  He LOVED this so much!  He had the best time throwing and catching the ball!

It truly was beautiful where we were.  It was so far out!

Next, we did the cow train.  It definitely was one of JM's favorite things.  Jordan rode with Matthew and JM sat in front of them!

We had a little break and then we played with these fun water pumps.  Each pump was set up with a spout for the water to run down and there were little rubber duckies that would go down the spout as you pumped the water harder and harder.  They're still talking about those pumps!

This sweet boy is so big lately!  I know he's hit a growth spurt because he's eating almost everything at every meal now and sometimes asking for more!

Matthew was pretty curious about the hole you put your head through!  And if you're wondering, we did NOT do the corn maze.  I don't do corn mazes...ever!

They had a tiny little barn with chickens, a duck, a sheep, and pigs!  The boys liked it!

And lastly, we found this little hay house on the way to buy our pumpkins!  We let the boys pick out a pumpkin and a few random tiny pumpkins as well.  I wish it had not been so hot while we were there, but otherwise, it was great!  We really did have a good time!  We'll be going back to this pumpkin patch for sure for years to come!

Speak Your Mind, Whydon'tcha?!

I expected a lot of things when I knew we would be having 3 little ones three and under.  I expected to not get much sleep, I expected to have a MUCH, MUCH larger grocery bill in the coming years, I expected to stay busy and have a messy house and never get caught up on laundry.  I expected to have even less time to myself, to not have a ton of time to get dressed and put make-up on everyday and to generally be exhausted at the end of the day.  All of these things are true and pretty much what I thought it would be like with 3 little ones.

While there have been some wonderful day and some pretty no-good-awful days too, it's still what I expected!  What I never expected was comments from other people.  Truly, it never occured to me what other people might say.

My whole pregnancy and even after Noah was born, it never entered my mind that other people might have an opinion about Jordan and I having 3 small children.  It's just been lately that people have started saying things when we've been out and about.  I will be the FIRST to say, yes, I do have my hands full...literally!  I get it, but I've been surpirsed by the stares that we get and people asking questions like, "are they all yours, are you babysitting, did you give birth to all of them, are they twins?"

Yes, we have a few family members who are not so thrilled that we decided to have 3 children right in a row but I guess it's taken me by surprise that total strangers would tell me their opinion or lecture me on birth control.  Wow.

Yes, my hands (and heart!) are full but I am so blessed and we don't take it lightly for one second.  I know there are people out there literally dying to be pregnant and have a family. 

While I may complain about the crazy, negative comments, I do have to say we get a lot of fun, sweet comments as well.  My favorite comments are from older women who say things like "I had all of mine 14 months apart" or "I had three boys in 3 years too!"  I know they look at my boys and think back all those years ago when their little ones looked like stair steps too!

I've been trying to formulate a response to crazy old men who say things and stare while we're out and about.  I need to come up with a cute, sweet, charming rebuttal that says "BACK OFF BUDDY, CHILDREN ARE A GIFT FROM THE LORD!!"

I guess I say all that to say this: I think we always hoped and dreamed we'd be blessed with a family. My view of children has drastically changed over the last few years.  We do believe that each of our children are a gift from the Lord.  I think back to our grandparent's generation and how so many people came from large families.  It just makes me wonder how we got to be a nation where people think that 3 children is a lot.  Interesting!

 

I Can't Wait...Can't Hardly Wait!

Matthew was so anxious to get into the bath that he climbed in all by himself with his diaper and shirt still on!

The look on his face is just like, whatever, everybody wears diapers into the tub!

This is classic Matthew!

Jumpin' Around!

Who's ready for the jumperoo?!

Who, me?!

Yup, a few weeks ago we thought Noah might be ready for the Jumperoo.  We were right!  He fits in it pretty nicely.

I think he didn't really know what to think about it!

The brothers were really excited about it though!

They love to push the buttons and make all the lights and music come on.  They also love to try and swing Noah around or make him bounce in the seat.  I have to watch them with it!

Forever Playing Catch Up!

 I have so much stuff to blog about, but I'm so behind!  I really want to make sure I get it all in, so I may just start from a few weeks ago and go from there!

So, the newest change around here was getting John Michael's new big boy booster seat.  It was time.  We let Noah have JM's old Britax and we got him a new booster to sit in.  Noahs has been screaming bloody murder for forever in his Graco carseat, and honestly, I just couldn't take it any longer, so we made the move and Noah has been SO happy!  He's not screaming that much anymore in the car, so it was worth it!

 Plus, the smile on his face shows he really loves his new carseat!

 Noah has been a delight as usual! He discovered his tongue last week and he's been chewing on his fingers ever since.  We think he might be teething??!  He would be our earliest teether yet!

Oh our third is just a precious delight! 

 We got a few great super hero costumes and the boys are really starting to love them!

 What?!  Don't everyone's children climb into dog kennels before bedtime?!

Jordan's family came into town, so I attempted a craft fair on Friday.  I would never do that on my own with 3 right now, but with back-up it's possible!

 

It's interesting to be out and about with our triple stroller. We get a lot of looks.  People are curious, ask questions, say somewhat rude things occasionally, and then ask if they're all mine!  They sure are! 

Here's Matthew looking especially serious at the craft fair!

 And who doesn't like baking cookies when their grandmother comes to town?  It was a fun visit, and we're always glad to have the help!

Also, the boys have been LOVING this Melissa & Doug cupcake set.  It is the cutest thing.  It comes with all kinds of cute cupcake decorating stuff and a little pot holder and pan.  They have been doing all sorts of imaginative play with it! 

Swinging!

Last week we put Noah in the swing for the first time!

The boys ate their dinner outside and then they all had a turn in the swing! 

I had thought maybe Noah was too little to be in a swing, but with our hands quite close, he did just fine hanging out in the swing.  I think he liked it!

John Michael pushed Matthew a bit and he also liked pushing Noah too!

Caught Reading!

Remember those public service announcements a few years ago and they said, "Get caught reading" and they had foumous people sitting and reading and you knew those famous people probably were not sitting at home reading novels at night.

Well, I caught Matthew reading the other day!

He was surrounded by tons of book!  I just LOVE it!  I hope they love reading as much as I do!

I also caught him in his little "boat"!

I love how you can see the grease/dirt/ketchup/grime stains on the wall behind him.  Ugh.  I guess my the flash on my camera picked it up.  Oh well, as is life right now!

Full Circle

I had a full circle moment today.  Like a really big one.  Let me explain.  Last year on this exact day was the day I kept thinking I didn't feel quite right, almost a little nausous throughout the morning.  Every fall we have a women's event at our church called Mugs 'n Muffins.  I love to try and go so that I can get to know some of the older women at church that I don't get to see as often.  So, last year I went and felt a little off the whole morning and thought maybe I was getting sick. 

Jordan had taken John Michael and Matthew our for the morning so I met up with them at Best Buy after my morning at church.  I just happened to metion to Jordan that I was feeling nausous all morning and he gave me THAT look.  He knew better.  He told me to go buy a test pronto.  I remember laughing it off, thinking, NO WAY.  No. Way.  Well, as we all know, that little test and those little symptoms were eventually this little guy:

As I dressed him up this morning to go to Mugs 'n Muffins with me, I couldn't believe it had been a whole year since I first found out about him.  Since I first let myself start realizing there would be 3.  Since I first got on my knees and begged God to bless my pregnany with a healthy, beautiful baby. Since I realized our lives were going to be changed forever; as it always happens with adding a precious one to your family.

So, I dressed him up this morning and said a special prayer over him.  It felt like an anniversary of sorts for me.  I knew we wanted a few children, we just never knew we would be so quickly and lovingly blessed by the Lord.

What a fun, crazy year it's been since I first found out there was another little heartbeat growing inside me.  We've truly come full circle.  I endured a pregnancy with 2 other small children around (exhausting!!!), had another not-so-comfortable birth, found out we had another boy, got through the really hard newborn stuff, and I feel like we're on our way.....sort of.

Oh goodness how I pray for these sweet boys everyday.  I am so grateful to be their mother! 

So yes, it's been a whole year, a full circle kind of year.  A good year. A blessed year. What will the next year hold for our family??!!!

For The Beauty....

 

For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies;
For the love which from our birth,

Over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For the wonder of each hour,
Of the day and of the night;
Hill and vale and tree and flow'r,

Sun and moon, and stars of light;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and mind's delight;
For the mystic harmony,

Linking sense to sound and sight;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

 

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child;
Friends on Earth and friends above,

For all gentle thoughts and mild;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For Thyself, best Gift Divine,
To the world so freely given,
For that great, great love of Thine,

Peace on earth and joy in heaven.
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

"For the beauty of the Earth", one of my favorite old-time hymns.  Just beautiful!