{what's for dinner?} Potato & Leek Soup.

My sister in law Jennie recenty started a food/life/baby blog and she has posted some amazing looking recipies {one of which I'm try later this week}.

As for tonight: Potato & Leek Soup {adapted from America's Test Kitchen}Have you ever smelled them? Being pregnant and having an amazing sense of smell... the smell was strong, but they smell really great. {ps, see how mine are wilted at top...not as fresh as I'd like but it was my fault as I had them for about 5 days before I used them...still good though!}

need:
5- 6 lbs. leeks { they call for white/light green parts but I used some of the green too}
1/2 stick butter
2 {minced} garlic cloves
6 cups {low-sodium} chicken broth
1.5 lbs. red potatoes, cleaned and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/4 teas. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

Begin by melting butter and garlic in large stock pot {or even better a dutch oven if you have it}.
meanwhile, dice up your leeks. The recipe called for the whites/light green parts of the leeks but I decided to add some of the healthy looking green root in.

{make sure you really clean your leeks well. It is amazing the amount of dirt you will clean out of those suckers}

Dump your leeks into the pot and mix with butter and garlic. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.

While those simmer, cut up your potatoes.

Dump in your potatoes and the chick broth.

{And then...my camera died. Woopsie. So the rest are taken with my cell}

Let potatoes simmer for aout 20 minutes {until tender} take out the bay leaf, and smash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot to thicken soup ...or just take the easy way out and use an immersion blender. {LOVE the thing}

salt and pepper to taste and....wallah!

And here is the finished product just before I served it.

It was VERY tasty with some garlic bread { I bought frozen}, of which I recommend ALEXIA brand {it is in our organic section at our grocery store, and Whole Foods sells it}.

It was a great meal for a colder, overcast day!

26 weeks

26weeks, originally uploaded by olives on a monday.

...and feeling like 36 weeks. YIKESA.

reunion

this past weekend our good friends Chad & Melody stayed with us. They moved to Colorado about a year ago, and it was such a joy to see them again.

Our combined six kids seemed to have picked up where we left off last and really had a great time together {with a few arguments here and there} at ages, 6, 4, 3, 2 {two 2 year olds}, and 1. It was fun to see them all together.

Adeline, Evan, Maxwell, Juliana, Breckenrdige and Liam.

After the kids were all in bed we had some GREAT laughs and good conversation and it seemed as if hardly any time has passed.

We do miss them dearly.

Hope to see them again soon.
Love you guys.

back?

been a bit MIA...I know.

A few busy weekends and over a week of sickness in the casa has taken me down.

I have a lot of things in my head {well, when do I not?}, it's now just a matter of getting to posting them.

For now I just this week finished uploading the few {not very good} pictures I have from December and January.

boys in their Christmas pj's:



{Liam in pirates, Evan in Mario {what else, the kid is obsessed}, and Max in Lego Star Wars...even though he has never seen Star Wars }

Max

Last Friday night I picked up the boys at a friends house {where a sitter watched a combined 7 kiddos between the two of us...Jessica knows how to whip those kids into shape} after a day of helping another friend move, and on the ride home this conversation happens.

Max: "Mom, I have to tell you something. But I don't want to tell you, I'm embarrassed."

And I reply; " Well, you can tell me, you can tell me anything. I won't laugh."

"I don't know, guess what it is."

And after 10 minutes of going back and forth {I have NO idea what it could be} I finally convince him he HAS to tell me, because I am his Mother!

"Well , all the kids say I have a girlfriend."

" I have a girlfriend!" Evan chimes in," Aubrey, and I kissed her 2 times."

"What? " I say fully knowing that Evan is completely making up this story just to be a part of the conversation.

" I mean, I kissed her 3 times."

So I tell Evan he needs to wait until he is VERY old to kiss a girl, and that he shouldn't make things up...you get the idea.

Back to Max.

"So Max, who is this girl?"

"Samaj."

" Do you say she is your girlfriend?"
"No."
Does she say you are her boyfriend?"
"NO, and sometimes she is mean."

"If she is mean, why are you friends with her?"
" Well, she only was once, and I told her not to be and she obeyed."

{I am DYING at this point...and really don't know what to say}. "Max, she doesn't have to obey you. You can ask her to not be mean to you because it makes you sad, but you aren't in charge of her."

" Well. I AM taller than her."

I can't hold in my laughter anymore.
They do grow up fast, don't they?!

Windy Corner

Max was off school for Martin Luther King Jr. day, and he wanted to celebrate. He thought we could join a march somewhere but I suggested we go out to lunch instead.
I read about this place opening up a few months ago, and it seemed like the perfect day to go for lunch. {please excuse the picture quality, they were all taken with my cell...moron forgot my camera at home}

The owners {a chef and host/sommelier married couple who also own two other wonderful local restuarants} bought this old run down mom and pop market and completely renovated it withrecycled wood from a local horse farm. The best part is that it is that it is all local meats and produce.

Max & Liam waiting for our po-boy's. :)

Ev. & I.

yummy chicken avocado po-boy.


the boys outside after a tasty lunch.

prayer.

{taken with cell, retro camera}

I've been thinking about prayer lately...and praying about prayer. I have to admit, I'm not the best at it. I'm not consistent about it. I think I fear I am praying to much with my petitions and not enough with praise, and then I tend to avoid it altogether as I don't want to feel like {and God knows if I am} I'm faking it. I'll pray in large groups {sometimes} but I feel like I am always fumbling over my words because I don't want to sound like I am trying to impress people, but at the same time I don't want to sound like a babbling fool.

Here is the thing though, that I have been thinking about more: God knows my heart. Maybe I'm not the most eloquent, and maybe I often times don't know what to say, or exactly how to pray but I know that I should just {like the old Nike ads displayed} DO IT. Our actions are a reflection of our heart, and my avoiding prayer has shown me that I don't see that it really boils down to me, my heart, and my pride.

As I've been thinking about prayer,this verse has been coming to mind.

" Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." {Philippians 4:6}

This includes being anxious about prayer itself.

Then the other day I stumbled across this:
"I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf."{ Romans 15:30}
Hello?! Wake up call?!
STRIVE to pray. When have I ever done this? To see God as my only hope and CLING to him and desperately cling to him. To do this through prayer. What an amazing gift that I really have taken for granted. A gift from a savior who has shown grace upon grace and I've so blindly ignored it for so long because of my own selfish fears.

When was the last time I have strived, struggled, and persisted in prayer? I think about the struggles of so many in the Bible, like Paul who PRAYED for those who hated him that they might be saved. I've never thought much how hard that could have been for him, to persist, and to struggle in having a heart of love towards those who hated him, to want them to know Christ like he did.

AMAZING.

So, this year as we welcome a forth child into our home and as we embark on new challenges and changes of what may happen, I hope that I can learn to pray more. That God would reveal to me the importance to be persistent in prayer.

To struggle. To STRIVE and to persevere in prayer and praise to him.

Happy 2011.

18 weeks

18 weeks.
CRAZY. Nearly halfway done with the pregnancy already.
In the next few weeks we will also be finding out the sex of this little one.

I won't lie.

I am SUPER anxious. We even talked about not finding out, but I don't think I could take it...not knowing.

I long for a daughter, I always have. I'll even admit I have a small girl stash, which has dwindled a bit with friends having girls, but I've held on to my absolute favorites.

Don't get me wrong, my 3 boys have brought such joy to our home and though I don't think I expected to have three sons, here they are and I thank God for each one of them,their tender hearts, their differences,love for sports, and each of their personalities.

God has a plan. He's always known what our family would look like. Who would be a part of this family and for how long.
So I trust him. I am excited to have a new baby. He knows what is in store for us... girl or boy.

And you know what? There is great comfort and joy in just knowing that.

jennings, driver, and rodgers.

For Christmas, Justin's parents got the boys Packers Jerseys. I think Evan has worn it every day since Christmas except maybe the two times it's been washed.

they are well loved.

Max is QB Aaron Rodgers.{#12} Evan is wide reciever Greg Jennings {#85} and Liam is wide reciever Donald Driver{#80}.

I don't know if you caught the Packers/Bears game yesterday, but they all had a pretty good game.


uh, oh....Driver is losing it.

Driver it's ok...


The team back together again.

Happy New Year !

Merry Christmas!

see you in 2011!

christmas tea.

my friend alison hosted a fun womens' tea get together on Sunday. She is a great cook, sweet lady and all around awesome person.

the amazing spread. She made about 90% of this awesome this. I contributed...nada.

the ladies {taken by me}

a close up of the goodies. :)

all the ladies {taken by alison's husband :) }

Fun, snowy, afternoon with some wonderful women. Thanks Alison!

2. {two}

oh Liamster. You are two?!


{2 days old.}
What a joy you have been from the day you were born.

{8 months}
You are so sweet, so independent, and yet you love people...you warm up to people so quickly.

{1st Birthday!}
My little L-man has grown into quite the toddler! You are one tough cookie. People always comment when they see you take a spill on a sidewalk or a crash into something. You never cry unless you were really hurt. o

{26 months}
You are simply adorable. You have a smile that KILLS.

{33 months }
You crack us up with your silly ways, pretending your a cat, doing a crazy laugh.











Being pregnant with your little brother {or} sister, I have been not feeling well and been so tired during this first trimester. After we take Max to school, you, Evan, and I snuggle on the coach together and watch a litte morning cartoons. You guys watch...I cat nap. It is a wonderful time though. The three of us huddled together under a blanket. A sweet memory, that is for sure.

I could not imagine life without you, our third sweet, happy baby boy. You have brought such joy to our family and we are so excited to see you grow.

Happy 2nd Birthday sweet boy!
xoxo
love,
Your Mama.