5 Months

And some. :)

You know how some people take those ridiculously cute pictures every month with something cute saying "2 months" or "6 months"? Well not me. Unfortunately. I wanted to be one of those people, but it just hasn't happened. Oh well, there's always next time around!

Already enjoying LEGOs. Just like his daddy.

Haha, he's such a cutie pie! Seriously, how can you not love him?!

Quick Update

Just wanted to drop in real quick and give you an update on my 2012 Crockpot Resolution! I think only 2 weeks went by without using my crockpot, but those were also the weeks that I worked 40-60 hours so..... I think I deserved a break. :) I am really enjoying it, though. Finding lots of yummy recipes and enjoying the ease of it all. Below is a list of recipes I've tried and whether they were yummy or not (unfortunately there were some failures).

Chicken Fajitas - Delicious! We loved them and was incredible easy.

Hobo Meatball Stew - Very yummy! Tasted like pot roast, but yummy nonetheless.

Stuffed Peppers - Failure! Not sure if it was the recipe or if I just don't like the whole concept

Chicken Cacciatore (?) - Okay. It was kinda a thin soup and I tend to like thicker soups.

Orange Chicken - Sadly, a failure. I was really looking forward to this, but it did not turn out yummy . :(

Beef Stroganoff - Good. Will use steak next time instead of ground beef.

Creamy Chicken & Rice - Yummy! Another easy, quick recipe.

I do believe my crockpot recipe for this week is..... drumroll...... Chili!

Alright, good night!

New Year Resolution.....

(I guess it's actually more of a goal for this year.)

I am going to use my crockpot once a week (if not more!)

Why haven't I done this before?!?! All you do is throw some ingredients in the pot and turn it on, so simple!

Isn't she pretty? :) And it has a touch pad, how cool!

So far I have made Hawaiian Chicken and next week I'll be making Chicken Cacciatori. If you have any yummy crockpot recipes, please share!

1st Christmas!

Now, I know that Aiden won't remember this Christmas at all but it's still his first one so we took pictures and I even made him a "1st Christmas" ornament!

Here he is getting ready to open his first present (more like me opening it!)

I love his little outfit!

He got a Jump & Go! I love the look on his face! So far he likes it but I'm sure when he figures out how to jump he'll love it even more. :)

Eli & Aiden got matching hats, lovingly made by Nana.

Aiden's "1st Christmas" ornament. I don't know about all you other mothers, but I could not find a cute 1st christmas ornament that didn't cost $25+. Ridiculous! So I made him one.

All you need is a clear ornament (Jo-Ann's), some sort of filler (snowflakes, also from Jo-Ann's) and some fabric paint (scribbles, Fred Meyer's). So simple, cute and personalized!

Time Flies...

I can't believe it's almost Christmas! I just noticed that I haven't posted anything since Thanksgiving.... oh dear. Life has been so hectic lately but I'm hoping that after the holidays things will slow down and we'll get to relax more. :)

One reason why we have been so busy is because of our busy little man! 3 months old and he is eager to move. All the time. Here's a video I took of him, showing off his new move.

Ahhh, he is getting so big! I miss his little-ness. :( To tell you the truth, I've been reluctant to put him in 3 month clothes because I don't want him to grow up. But he has SO many cute clothes in that size that I finally gave in. :)

Christmas will be different this year. This will be the first time that the whole family won't be together. I know we'll still have fun, but it's just..... weird. And it's Aiden's 1st Christmas, too! Not that he'll remember it. I guess I need to remember that Christmas isn't about the gifts or even family, it's about God's amazing plan and His awesome gift to us!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year's!

Courtney (and boys)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and fun day!

We sure did. Got to celebrate the day with almost my entire family. Just 1 sister missing. :(

God has truly blessed us this year! So my list is kinda long, but here it is....

1. My sweet, healthy baby boy. At his 2 month checkup he was 11lbs 14oz and 22 1/4 in! They grow so fast!

2. Brittany and Jeremy coming up for Thanksgiving. It's been a long time since Britt has been home for this holiday.

3. My sweet little NIECE! Yup, they're having a girl. I'm so excited! What to knit her...

4. Eli's new job. He is really enjoying it (which is a plus!) and hopefully in a few years he'll be making enough money and I'll get to stay home!

5. All this lovely snow! It's beautiful outside right now. Sun peaking through the clouds and bouncing off the crystalized snow on trees and buildings, gorgeous!

6. God and His unfailing love for us.

7. Life. Some friends of ours lost their brother in an accident a few weeks ago and it just reminds me how precious life is and to be thankful for for it.

8. Friends who love and support us. Our community group is awesome at this! Praying over our grieving friends this past week was another reminder of how important it is to have supportive, loving friends.

9. Our ever growing families! How could I forget them?

Our little turkey!

Nutella Cupcakes

Saw this recipe on Pinterest (cool sight!) and couldn't resist making them. And I just happened to have Nutella on hand. :)

Don't they look yummy?!?!

Self Frosting Nutella Cupcakes

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup canola or mild vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 cup Nutella, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 325F.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. The batter will be thick. It needs to be in order to swirl in the Nutella!

Divide the batter between 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Drop a spoonful of Nutella on top of each, and swirl through the batter with the tip of a bamboo skewer, knife or other pointy object. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until springy to the touch. Tilt them in the pan to help them cool. Makes a dozen cupcakes.

I was making these to take to a party, so I used my mini muffin pan. It made at least 24 mini cupcakes (I still have a little bit of dough in my fridge).

If you've never tried out Pinterest, I definitely recommend it! So many cool ideas, recipes, pictures and you can keep track of everything you like. So handy! You do need an invite from a member to join, let me know if you want in!