DESERT RAIN

my absolute favorite thing about living in the desert is the rain. because it's so rare, it feels like a gift. it's warm and heavy and i love to stand in it and get completely soaked, it feels so good. and it smells AMAZING. so fresh, clean and earthy. it's one of my top five favorite smells in the world, hands down. i wish it rained here all the time! {except that would make this NOT a desert, so... haha}

THIGHS

there are so many things i love about this girl. too many to list! but right now, one of my absolute favorite things are her THIGHS! they're so chunky and perfect for nibbling on constantly {it helps that she giggles every time you do}. 

oh lia, please don't ever grow up!

SPRING TRAINING!

one of the major perks of living in arizona is spring training. we love baseball, and our favorite team- the san diego padres- trains in peoria, which is like 10 minutes from our house. orlando is in heaven. today was the first day for the players to start practice, so we went down to the practice fields to watch. i wasn't expecting much, but it was awesome. the players are practicing and walking around, and nothing really separates you from them- they're chatting and signing baseballs and taking pictures, it's super chill and really fun if you're a baseball geek like us. orlando got autographs from matt kemp, cameron maybin, james shields, and justin upton, and lia and i got our picture taken with cameron maybin, who was super nice. a couple of coaches gave luc two baseballs, and we spent the entire morning in the sunshine, running around on the grass and watching batting practice. i LOVED it. i think days like these, spent outside doing something fun with my family, are my very most favorite.

if you've been thinking about visiting us and you love baseball, march is the month to come!

PRIDE

what's that saying? 'pride will be your downfall'?
something like that. 

pride- this one specific kind of pride- can sometimes be my downfall.

i am not a particularly stubborn person, though, like just about everybody, i can be on the rare occasion.  i find saying sorry a pretty easy thing to do, and being the first to apologize never bothers me. i hate confrontation and tension and fighting and hurt feelings, so whatever ends it fastest, i'm almost always willing to do, and do it quick. 

my pride tends to take a different direction, a more vain direction, if you will. for example, i was so prideful about the fact that i could get my pre-pregnancy jeans on {unbuttoned of course} throughout my entire pregnancy with luc, that i didn't buy a single pair of maternity jeans or shorts. the last four weeks of that pregnancy, i paid for that pride with every uncomfortable minute i had to wear clothes. and THEN i had a c-section, and the very idea of putting my tight pants on over my incision made me want to cry. but my pride was strong. i took JEANS to the hospital, people. SKINNY JEANS NO LESS. SKINNY JEANS to wear home after birthing a baby. everybody told me not to- friends, baby magazines, my mom- everybody told me to pick the sweats, but my pride wanted to be squeezed back into those jeans as quickly as possible. bless my dear mother, who walked to the target across the street from the hospital, and bought me two pairs of yoga pants, and then insisted i wear nothing else for weeks. thank heavens she was bossier than my pride that time, that really would have hurt.

it's something i've been working on, trying to find a more reasonable balance, when it comes to my pride. so this pregnancy, in an act of self-improvement and out of a sincere desire to not be so darn uncomfortable all the live-long day, i bought maternity jeans. you know, those special pants they make specifically for pregnant women because our miraculously growing bodies aren't meant to be squished into our regular pants? {duh, lindsey} yeah, those ones, i bought those. AND I LOVE THEM. they are so comfortable, so spacious, so stretchy and soft! they don't give me welts under my belly and they don't cut off circulation to my legs! glory hallelujah, they're the BEST PANTS EVER INVENTED! 

stupid pride, you kept me from this comfy goodness for far too long. but in the end you did not win, ha! i declare that i love maternity jeans, and i don't care who knows it! 

25.5 weeks in my new old navy maternity jeans. love at first try-on.

LUC HAS OPINIONS

this boy came out of the womb opinionated, so it doesn't surprise me that he is {possibly} the most opinionated toddler on the planet. while it can be flustering, it's also a little hilarious, and i like seeing glimpses of the little individual he is turning into. here are a few of my favorite luc opinions, as of late:

-he MUST have the car cart at the grocery store. any 'regular' cart is unacceptable and he will avoid sitting in it like its made of hot lava.

-he HATES going back inside, even if it's freezing. he will take my keys and run away, thinking we can't go in if i can't unlock the door {smartie pants}. when i catch him, he throws the keys as hard as he can in a last-ditch effort to keep them from me.

-he prefers to be naked at all times. he will undress himself randomly throughout the day, and pull his diaper down a few inches in the back. he hasn't ever taken it off, but he is VERY insistent about having a bit of crack hanging out. when i try to fix it, i get the wrath of the kraken in return.

-he is MR. INDEPENDENT. he wants to climb anything, run away, walk up and down stairs, open doors, and read stories all by himself. he wants to go down the slide all by himself and climb the jungle gym all by himself and play in/eat dirt and bark all by himself. i say 'no!' and 'yucky!' and 'careful!' A LOT.

-he isn't a terrible eater, but he only wants to eat what he wants, when he wants. one day that's a quesadilla, the next day quesadillas are a GIANT NO. it's a fun guessing game, and a lot of what i give him results in this face and/or the whole plate being dumped on the floor.

-his favorite thing right now are these reusable stickers of cars and trucks that we've put all over the windows. he will play with these for HOURS, it's awesome. but he's very opinionated about what goes where, and you have to ask permission before moving something around. if you put the wrong truck with the wrong trailer, you're in BIG TROUBLE.

all these opinions {and so many more} and he doesn't even say 20 words yet! i'm excited to see what happens when we add talking to all of his daily activities.

CHOCOLATE

where do i start? chocolate has been my very favorite all my life. i prefer it over every other candy, treat, and dessert. chocolate is my one true food love.

this of course means that eating as much chocolate as i want AND feeling good/fitting into my jeans is a difficult balance. a few months before the holidays i was feeling really great and my chocolate consumption was at an all-time low. then my earliest pregnancy craving was ANYTHING sweet and i just had to have a toblerone. somehow one toblerone turned into 18 {lucky me, I got 18 toblerone bars for my birthday/christmas! and i ate them all} and now i can't stop! i don't even have any pregnancy cravings to blame it on anymore haha. 

really, the worst news of all is that now it's mini cadbury eggs season. cutting back on chocolate is never possible during mini cadbury egg season. 

so i'm thinking that if i eat nothing but celery for every meal, i can probably eat all the mini cadbury eggs i want. 

that's a good plan, right? ;)

**i dedicate this very random post to my dear friend and fellow chocoholic, stacy. xoxo. 

27 THINGS: 24 (WICKED!)

{i think this was one of my favorite goals of the entire year!}
24. see WICKED when it comes on broadway in december. 

months ago, a few friends and i bought tickets to see wicked when it came on cleveland's broadway. BEST IDEA EVER. and completely worth the wait. this was my first time seeing it and I LOVED EVERY SECOND! it seriously gave me chills over and over again. glinda's acting was incredible and elphaba's voice was gorgeous. if you haven't see it, you need to!

it was the perfect girl's night out to get me in a festive mood!

CHEESECAKE HEAVEN IN 20 MINUTES

this is a SUPER fluffy, delicious cheesecake recipe, and it's so easy. luc and i make it in about 20 minutes! (he LOVES the electric mixer. like almost too much.)

you'll need:
-1 graham cracker pie crust (i buy mine. feel free to make your own if you want!)

-2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (room temperature)

-2 tsp lemon juice

-1 pint heavy whipping cream

-1/2 cup white sugar

-any fruit sauce or topping you desire

in a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the cream cheese (if it's cold, it's very hard to get a creamy texture) and lemon juice until soft. add the whipping cream and beat until batter becomes thick and creamy. add the sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. (this takes a few minutes. also, i always taste it right about now and make sure it's sweet enough. i usually have to add a pinch more sugar)

when your mixture is very thick and fluffy, spoon it into your graham cracker crust and spread evenly. chill several hours or overnight (THIS IS IMPORTANT. it melts fast if you don't chill it. overnight is best.)

just before serving, top with whatever fruit or sauce you desire! we are strawberry people, so that's usually what we dump on ours. but trust me, you can't go wrong.

also, think about how great this would be if you added NUTELLA to it. oh baby, i'm so doing that next time!

DAY 29

i'm grateful for thanksgiving leftovers. YUM!

THE END OF SUMMER

september 3, which means summer is officially ending. of all the summers i've had, there have been a few that have stood out as magical- one of those summers you want to live everyday for the rest of your life. this was one of those. luc and i have ventured all over cleveland, collecting sunshine like handfuls of shiny rocks to keep us warm all winter. we've been swimming and swinging and eating ice cream three times a day. we've played with our friends as much as possible, eaten more than our fill of homemade tacos, and taken two baths a day and family walks every evening with papa. we're sunkissed and brown and ever so happy with our everyday adventures.

i am not ready to say goodbye to it all. i'm not ready for the winter gray, for the cold wind and sunshine drought. i could live this summer forever, just me and my little buddy and the green grass, blue sky and buckets of mint chip ice cream.

FOR THE LOVE OF READING

i've been keeping a list of my favorite books since luc was born, counting down the days until we can start reading them together. i think a love of reading is one of the best gifts i can give my kids, and i'm so excited to relive these classics with them. just this week i started reading stuart little by h.b. white to him while he plays with his blocks, and although he doesn't yet understand what's going on, he loves it. he will come climb on my lap and clap when i exclaim 'hooray for stuart!' whenever the clever mouse does something particularly exciting. it is SO MUCH FUN.

i hope to read all of these with him more than once during his childhood, i want him to know the stories by heart.

the boxcar children
where the red fern grows
charlotte's web
the princess bride
harry potter 1-7
the giver
ender's game
ender's shadow
peter and the starcatchers
peter pan
the borrowers
percy jackson and the olympians series
the tale of despereaux
james and the giant peach
the bfg
witches
charlie and the chocolate factory
a wrinkle in time
tales of a fourth grade nothing
the little house on the prairie
holes
from the mixed-up files of mrs. basil e. frankweiler
amelia bedelia
tikki tikki tembo

any other favorites i should add to my list?

OH THOSE SUMMER NIGHTS

my three favorites:

my sexy hubby, cute luc, and a cool summer night

our new favorite snack

luc and i fight over the last bite of this deliciousness almost daily! it is seriously sooo good, especially with lots of salt {i'm a salt addict}. plus it's healthy so, BONUS!

wash, peel, and cut a cucumber. slice it however you fancy.

squeeze lime juice all over your cucumber slices- the more the better!

salt liberally.

enjoy!

GERMAN OVEN PANCAKES

pretty sure part of the reason orlando married me was for my german oven pancakes. 

they are heavenly, especially when you get liberal with the butter.

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

6 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick butter

makes a 9x13 pan of deliciousness

preheat oven to 350 degrees

mix first four ingredients in a large bowl with a hand mixer until runny and yellow.

then take as much butter as you want- no less than 2 tbsp, no more than 1 stick {i like to use a little more than half a stick of butter} and plop it in your glass/metal 9x13 pan. put pan in the oven for about 2-4 minutes, just long enough to melt the butter completely. 

take out your pan of melted butter, swirl it around to coat the pan, and then pour your batter in. bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. it's done when the top of your edges is golden brown.

enjoy with syrup, strawberries, powdered sugar, or anything else you fancy!

best fettuccine alfredo

fettuccini alfredo is one of my favorite comfort foods. when the weather is bad or i don't feel great, there's nothing like a hot bowl of alfredo sauce (noodles optional) to warm my toes and make me feel better. plus it's super easy and downright delicious! i have been working on the perfect alfredo sauce for a few years now, and YOU GUYS. i've finally struck gold. everyone i have made this for so far has LOVED it. personally, i think it's better than any restaurant alfredo out there. try it and let me know if you agree (which of course you will!)

you'll need:

-1 pint heavy cream
-1 stick of butter (=1/2 cup)
-2 or 3 tablespoons cream cheese
-3/4 cup parmesan cheese (real shredded parmesan, not powder)
-1 teaspoon garlic powder or garlic salt
-salt and pepper to taste
-fettuccini noodles (i eyeball this)










in a saucepan, combine butter, heavy cream and cream cheese (sounds delicious already, no?). simmer until all is melted and mixed well- DO NOT allow it to boil. add the parmesan cheese and garlic powder. simmer for 15 min on low heat, stirring often. again, DO NOT boil it. the sauce separates when it boils.

pour the sauce over your cooked noodles and toss together until everything is coated in the deliciousness you just created FROM SCRATCH. salt and pepper if desired (i find salt isn't really needed, but pepper is lovely)

eat.

swoon.

eat more.

you're welcome!

what makes luc the happiest

nothing in this world makes this kid as happy as bath time.

and nothing makes this mama as happy as that big ol' smile right there.

our favorite books

on windy days like today, luc and i stay inside where it's warm and cozy. we stay in our pajamas and drink hot chocolate and take naps. and when we're awake we read lots and lots of books. or rather, we read the same five books over and over and over again. luc is adorably opinionated, so we can only read the books he loves, and he only loves five books {for now}. i work in a new book here and there, and he is slowly expanding his circle of love, {we started with only one favorite book a month ago} but for now these are his favorites:

brown bear, brown bear by bill martin/eric carle

la oruga muy hambrienta {the very hungry caterpillar} by eric carle

chomp! by heather brown

the foot book by dr. seuss

there's a wocket in my pocket by dr. seuss

we highly recommend all five!

.....

p.s. my baby boy will be eight months old tomorrow, i can hardly believe it. when they tell you it goes by much too fast, they aren't kidding. he's handsome and hilarious and determined and the last eight months have been the happiest of my life. i'm so thankful he's mine.

crockpot heaven: black bean soup

this soup is hands down, the best crockpot soup in my arsenal. it's amazing, especially on those freezing cold winter evenings that call for a little mexican food heaven.

trust me on this one, and make extra.

dump into your crockpot:

2 {15.5oz} cans black beans {don't drain}

1 can water

1 {14.5oz} can diced tomatoes

1 green pepper, chopped

1/4 chopped onion

2 shredded chicken breasts

1/2 packet fajita seasoning {or season to taste, however strong you want the flavor}

lime juice to taste

stir well and simmer on low for 4-6 hours

serve with shredded cheese and fresh avocado on top, or break out the tortilla chips

{makes about 4 servings}

ODE TO DAIRY

oh dairy, how i miss you! it's been four months since i've been able to partake of your goodness, and i'm feeling it. i'll be honest, when i heard i had to give you up for my luc {totally worth it, btw}, i thought to myself 'this will be easy! i hate milk.' which is true, i do hate to drink plain old milk {ick}

what i failed to realize at that moment is how much i love ice cream. and cheese. and cheesecake. and cream cheese. and sour cream. and chocolate milk. and chocolate. and ICE CREAM. some days of mothering just require a big bowl of ice cream after the baby is in bed, you know? there's no great substitute for chocolate ice cream, fyi. none. the real stuff is the only good stuff.

it's just that, while a glass of milk is completely gross, all the things with milk in them are completely delicious! they're the best of all treats/meals/desserts! what's the best treat? chocolate! best italian food? pizza! {or fettacini alfredo if you're more of a pasta person} best dish at el jalepeno? the bean burrito smothered in their special queso sauce! best dessert? ICE CREAM OF COURSE!

the pediatrician said i can try to reintroduce dairy into my diet when luc is six months old, and i am simultaneously counting down the days and praying his little tummy can handle it. boy oh boy am i excited! i've started a list of all the things i want to eat when dairy and i are reunited again:

CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
cheesecake factory cheesecake
a giant chocolate frosty
mint chocolate chip ice cream
baked potato with sour cream
everything bagel with cream cheese
a DQ dipped cone
angelo's pizza, extra cheese
ranch dressing on anything and everything
chocolate ice cream
a CHEESEburger
chocolate milk
king size symphony chocolate bar

i'm sure that by the time december 20th rolls around, i'll have added quite a bit more to my list, but for now, these are the things i dream about at night.

especially the frosty. chocolate frosties haunt my dreams.

if you can, savor a bowl of ice cream tonight and think of me. with a little luck and an answer to my prayers, i am only weeks away from enjoying some {an entire carton, probably} myself!

LIFE OF PI

for the first time since luc was born, i sat down and read a book. boy, did it feel good to get all caught up in a story and ignore the dishes/laundry/errands for a few days. 

as far as books go, this one was stellar. i've been thinking about it since i turned the last page, and i'm having a hard time putting into coherent thoughts/words just exactly what i loved about it. but i do know that i loved it.

so there's a sixteen year old boy, piscine motolier {aka pi} from india, who is shipwrecked on his way to canada. he looses his entire family, everything, and is stuck on a lifeboat with a bengal tiger, a zebra, a hyena, and an orangoutang {survivors from his father's zoo}. of course, you can probably imagine how that goes, and pi eventually ends up alone with the tiger in the lifeboat for a long 227 days. it's a fascinating story.
however, my favorite parts were the stories told about his life before he was shipwrecked, about his childhood in india. its so beautifully written and i absolutely loved pi. i loved how he looked at God and religion- he embraces christianity, hinduism, and islam equally, taking the best of each and making them his own. i believe in my church with all my heart, but i could learn a thing or two from him about true conversion, devotion, and following the promptings of the Spirit that guides me.

it's one i will definitely read again.