Enjoy the little things

Experiencing tragedy always reminds us what's important.
And after a day like today, I am forced to count my blessings. 
God has a way of doing that to us.
I truly believe that it's amongst the dark times, that we are ultimately faced with the choice to rejoice in the little things or wallow in our sorrows. 

As the traumatic visions flashed my television this afternoon, I was reminded of 9/11 and that we cannot allow the terrorists to win. For if we allow the tragedy to darken our days, we are only granting the killers a power over our lives.

Very little is needed to make a happy life. And that's the beauty. Each day is a gift. As cliche as it sounds, take a moment to give a kind word, smile, dance with your husband, hold hands, laugh with your kids, and remember it's these little things that are truly significant and matter the most. 

Sweet dreams and God bless you.

Top Ten Reasons 3-Year-Old T Ball Is Worth It

So yes, I am that mom. The one that gets overly enthusiastic at the prospect of my 3-year-old little boy playing sports. Every season, I try to convince my husband, who not only played semi-pro but also works as a sportscaster, that our kid is old enough to play and can handle it.

And as usual, (shhh, don't tell him) he was probably right. I may have been a bit over zealous. To get the whole family up and out of the door on a Saturday morning before 8am, there's got to be quite a love for the game. Sacrificing our Saturdays, utterly exhausted and usually covered in mud and sweat...makes one ask the question, was it worth it?

Well, our first season of T Ball is under our belts and looking back, there were a few pretty awesome moments that I have to say made it well worth it for me....

1) Watching my son hit the baseball for the first time on the field and subsequently running to the pitcher's mound instead of first base.

2) Witnessing my sweet 3-year-old be part of a team 
and truly loving his teammates.

3) Hot, Venti Starbucks.

4) Hearing our little player talk about how excited he is 
for his next game.

5) Our little buddy catching his first ground ball, 
only to throw it randomly to the dugout.

6) Crying after the next game because 

he didn't catch a ground ball.

7) Watching him field his own hit 

(awesome buddy, awesome).

8) Midway through the season, our little player tells us, "Mom, Dad, do you know what my favorite part of T Ball is?!   -The Snacks!!"

9) Battling my 1-year-old (the entire game) from running out on the field and playing with his big brother.

10) And last but not least, experiencing my athlete husband's unending patience while teaching his 3-year-old son how to play (with little retention) but even more so, the pride and excitement they share for the love of the game and each other.

Clean Up Aisle 3 - Toddler Meltdown Level 10!

The dog escaped minutes before having to throw my 1-year-old in the car to pick up big brother from preschool. Poor pup's just going to have to fend for herself in the heat of the Florida sun. "Just hope she doesn't get eaten by an alligator while we're gone."

Traffic on the way to school, barely make it in time for pick up and the preschool teacher informs me that my ever-so-sweet 3-year-old brought a pocket full of change to school, to which he teased all of his classmates, asking them "if they'd like to get paid today?"... (seriously buddy?!)

Three-car-pile-up on the way home, traffic is crawling by a Publix and I think, "I might as well pick up some groceries and get the boys some lunch." (HA!).... Better said than done.

Warning: Never take two toddlers grocery shopping after pre school with hungry bellies.

The first 10 minutes went smoothly as my sweeties sat quietly in their race car grocery cart...(the calm before the storm)...once we hit the baking aisle, all He&% broke loose. It felt like a speaker went off in the store announcing my toddler's meltdown (Clean up aisle 3 - Toddler Meltdown!)....high-pitched screams, arched back, red face, going-floppy-if-you-try-to-pick-me-up mode. Thank God I realized my little blonde-haired, 20-month-old was freaking out over the bag of Nestle chocolate chips I just put in the cart and couldn't tolerate waiting till check-out to open them up. 

Needless to say, we made it out alive. With a trail of chocolate chips behind us, half of our grocery items opened and bitten off of, two very tired toddlers and an exhausted mommy...

Emma, the dog was waiting patiently on the driveway when we got home. And my sweet little toddlers are fast asleep, napping deeper than ever. 

I can't help but giggle. I know these days will pass before I can blink. Especially because every parent who passed us at the grocery store gave me that all-knowing, sweet smile as my kids are crawling in and out of my shopping cart like wild monkeys. Brings a whole new meaning to "they are so precious when they sleep." And mommy finally gets a minute to sit down and breath before it all starts over again. 

Wouldn't change it for the world. And the crazy part is, I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. I'm choosing to seize these crazy beautiful moments and remember how blessed I am today to be the mommy of such awesome, sweet (active!) little boys.

Made With Love

Chicken & Veggie Pockets

One of my favorite activities is cooking with my sweet little boys. And I have found that if I can get my 3 year old to prepare the food, he is much more likely to eat it! He loves helping and although he is pretty limited to pouring, kneading or stirring, it's the time together that I appreciate the most. I am hopeful that by encouraging his interest now, he may be more likely to continue his love for cooking as he grows up.

We have especially been loving our newest cookbook, The Baby & Toddler Cookbook, which includes healthy, homemade foods for both baby foods and toddler dishes. 

Tonight (after an evening of water gun fights) we came inside to try our newest recipe, Chicken & Veggie Pockets. And we loved it! These yummy pastry pockets, filled with chicken, melted cheese and sweet corn are the perfect hand-held toddler lunch or snack.

Chicken & Veggie Pockets

What you'll need:

1 Tblspn olive oil

1 leek, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced, about 2/3 cup total

2/3 cup fresh or frozen thawed corn

1 1/4 cups finely chopped cooked chicken breast

1/2 cup shredded white Cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

All-purpose (plain) flour for dusting

1 large egg, lightly beaten

MAKES ABOUT 16 POCKETS

• In a frying pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the leek and saute until softened, 5-8 minutes. Add the corn and saute until tender, 2-3 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool, then stir in the chicken and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Mixture.

• Unfold 1 sheet of the thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin (we used a glass cup), roll out the to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter (we used our glass cup again), cut out 8 rounds and arrange on a baking sheet (we used parchment paper). Repeat with the second sheet of puffy pastry.

Kneading our dough.

• Place 1-2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on one half of each round. Fold the dough over the filling to make a crescent-shaped pocket. Press on the edges to help them adhere, then crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Pierce the pockets in several places with the fork. Brush the tops lightly with the beaten egg. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes. (Bath & PJ Time!)

Pre-refrigerator.

Final product.

• Preheat the oven to 400F. Transfer the pockets directly from the refrigerator to the oven and bake until puffed and golden, 16-18 minutes (we added a few more mins until they were good and golden). Let cool slightly, then serve.

Hope you enjoy this yummy, healthy treat as much as we did! 

Something smells good in the kitchen...

The boys and I enjoyed a very lazy PJ-kind of Saturday morning of coffee and cartoons.

The weekends have turned into our stay-home and veg-out kind of days. I'm finding myself in the kitchen cooking something yummy...still in my PJs through the afternoon. I tried out a new dinner recipe this morning, something delicious for the hubs to take to work. I'm hoping it tastes as good as it looks. Another Pinterest find (thanks to The Novice Chef Blog).

Spicy Avocado Chicken Enchiladas

Jackson, my growing 3-year-old officially eats more than I.  I'm constantly searching for recipes that will satisfy a toddlers' taste, as well as fill his little belly! Lately, I can't seem to go wrong with Mexican food. I also made this...

Amazing Spanish rice...

Nothing better than yummy comfort food to fill the tummies of my sweet Lovies....

Happy Saturday! Life is sweet. 

Have a blessed weekend with your loved ones. 

Nathan's First Golf Lesson

We had a blast the other day taking little Nathan out for his first golf lesson. At just 17-months-old, my husband, Andrew couldn't wait any longer. Nathan was ecstatic. Thought these photos were too freakin' adorable not to share. But that little man's got such attitude...

Pause For Those Larger Than Life Moments

In the past few weeks, events have unraveled in a way that have allowed me to pause...
pause to appreciate, pause to love, pause to remind myself just how amazingly God has blessed me.

Our little man, Nathan had severe symptoms following a routine medical procedure, landing him in the hospital for three days. And as strange as it sounds, I left with a stronger, deeper appreciation for what I've got today...realizing that you have no control over what may come tomorrow.

Jackson, my 3 year old is finishing up his first year of preschool, has outgrown most of his clothes and swears he'll marry his schoolmate girlfriend. He also just completed his first soccer season. Today was his final game. And although he never made a goal, I couldn't be prouder of the little guy as he constantly stopped mid-game to turn around and blow mom kisses. The league handed out ceremonial awards to each player and as he approached the stage, I had to pause. Pause and embrace. Embrace that larger than life moment when you feel like there's too much emotion for one person to handle...wishing you could slow life down a bit, to assure yourself you won't miss a single thing.

And finally, tragedy struck San Diego and the world of sports when Junior Seau, a celebrated Linebacker took his own life on Wednesday. Having gone to UCSD while he played for the Chargers, I was familiar with the local celebrity and am deeply saddened by the news. The media's coverage was thorough but the one interview that struck my heartstrings was this one of his Junior's mother weeping over her son's death, saying "I pray to God, please, take me, take me, leave my son." As terrible and tragic as the story of this mother's little boy, I find it equally as important to embrace those larger than life moments, that may be as simple as a wave from the soccer field or nasty flu that lands us overnight in the hospital....

As San Diego pastor and a former Defensive Back for the Chargers, Miles McPherson says in this recent article, "Be intentional to spend quality time with your family...Take a moment and hug a relative today. Make that "I love you," "I am sorry" or "I forgive you" phone call today...in those moments you realize how much unspoken power we all possess with just three words. I love you. We are surrounded by people who are hurting, who desperately need to be reassured that someone cares. Tell someone today. A simple gesture of acknowledgement just might be the "larger than life" moment that actually saves a life."

Recipes We've Been Lovin' Lately...

A few new, a few old....these are some recipes we've been loving lately...
(Click on the titles)

Easy Tomato Basil Soup

Mozzarella, Tomato, Pesto Grilled Cheese...YUM

Kari's White Chicken Chili

4 chicken breasts

1tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2-4oz cans mild green chilies, chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

1.5 tsp dried oregano, crumbled

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

3-16oz cans white beans

5c chicken broth

3c reduced fat monterey jack cheese

no fat sour cream

jalapeno peppers

salt and pepper

Place chicken in saucepan.  Add cold water to cover and bring to simmer.  Cook until tender, about 15 minutes.  Dran and cool.  Remove and shred.  Heat oil in same pot over medium/high heat.  Add onions and saute about 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic, then chilies, cumin, oregano, cayenne.  Saute 2 minutes.  Add undrained beans and broth and bring to boil.  Reduce heat, add chicken and cheese until cheese melts.  Serve.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe I've Ever Made