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Can you guess what makes Jack happy?

I will give you one guess at what makes this little guy happy...

Yep, he's basically a food monster!!

Savannah's Birthday

Our Sweet Savannah turned FOUR on May 10th!  She had an awesome birthday WEEK, beginning with her birthday celebration at school on Tuesday, lunch with Grandma and me on Wednesday, celebrating with daddy on Friday and a birthday blowout party on Sunday!  Amazed with what a beautiful young lady she is becoming and so blessed to have her as our daughter!

 

 

Yummy Coconut Curry Shrimp Recipe

I've been in a bit of a dinner slump lately...think hamburger helper, frozen lasagna and too many quesadillas!  Not that there is anything wrong with any of these foods, but they aren't terribly fresh or healthy.  Typically, when Stephen is out in the field, training or deployed, I become more adventurous in the kitchen--largely due to his being a meat and potatoes guy and my fear that a lighter, healthier meal won't be filling for him.  He also avoids spice...we joke that ketchup has just the right amount of heat for him while I pour on the Cholula or Tapatio Hot Sauce!

But Spring is in full-swing in San Diego and something about fresh air and sunshine makes me want to lighten things up!  So with an arsenal of Cooking Light and www.skinnytaste.com recipes to try, I headed to the store to purchase groceries for a weeks worth of healthy meals!

He was the plan:
Steak with baked sweet potatoes and roasted asparagus
Coconut Curry Shrimp with rice and sugar snap peas
Grilled chicken, corn on the cob, and Mexican rice with black beans
Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken
Lightened up Chicken Enchiladas with left over rice and beans
Greek burgers with salad

I was most nervous to serve the Coconut Curry Shrimp because it involved both curry and coconut, which I know Stephen isn't crazy about...but c'est la vie!  The kids devoured it and asked for seconds, I loved it and Stephen even said it was really good and a keeper!!  And the best part, it took no time at all to whip up and only had a handful of ingredients.  I have had several people ask for the recipe, so here it is:

Coconut Curry Shrimp with Rice:

• 1 tsp oil
• 4 scallions, whites and greens separated, chopped
• 1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 6 oz light coconut milk
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1/8 cup fresh cilantro and 1/8 cup parsley, chopped
• salt to taste

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Add scallion whites and red curry paste and sauté one minute. Add shrimp and garlic, season with salt and cook about 2-3 minutes. Add coconut milk, fish sauce and mix well. Simmer about 2-3 minutes, until shrimp is cooked through. Remove from heat, mix in scallion greens, cilantro, and parsley.  I served this over steamed rice and sauteed snap peas!

After the success of the curry dish, I was less anxious to serve the Asian Peanut Noodles recipe...it was definitely spicier with the use of Sirracha and loaded with vegetables, but the kids didn't seem to notice (even as Stephen wiped his brow and guzzled his lemonade)!   Hope you enjoy the recipe and please share any yummy "lighter" recipes you have!

Summer is on the way!!

 

In the last three days, I have watched my kids play in the sprinklers, shucked a bag of fresh corn, ate two dozen strawberries, and cut up a giant watermelon...what about that does not SCREAM Summer!!!

We have begun venturing to the beach...with three kids 5 and under and even with both puppies too!!  The kids LOVE the beach and we are blessed with amazing beaches within two miles of our house.  Gunner and Penny also love the water, but their days at the beach are limited to when Stephen and I can divide and conquer kids and dogs...I am not daring enough to venture to the dog beach alone yet!

Speaking of Summer...bike riding is big in our neighborhood!  We have a ton of kiddos on just our little stretch of Wahoo Lane (17 kids between 6 houses and they are mostly between 3 and 6 years old) and bike riding is a serious sport/activity!  Savannah has recently joined the "big kid" club and can ride with NO TRAINING WHEELS!!!  Woo hoo and way to go!!

Anyway...my thoughts have been on our upcoming Summer with this warm weather.  So, here's to hoping this Summer is sunnier than the last (and a few pictures of our recent shenanigans)!

Flying a kite...doesn't get much easier than this!

At the playground...a rare group photo with out nose picking, screaming, cheese smile, excessive drool, hitting, or three heads looking three different directions!

Bubbles!  Lots of bubbles!

Sand tastes good...but the waters sure is cold!

Our most recent acquisition--a sandbox.  May not last too long if they keep dumping the sand overboard though!

The birth of a ballerina...

Ok, so that may be exaggerating a little...
but she surely did have a great time! 



















Monday afternoon we had our first ballet "class."  This is by NO means any sort of real ballet school, just a preschool class at the YMCA that meets once a week for a month.  But to Savannah, she was joining the National Ballet Company! 

I made the mistake of telling Savannah about this ballet class more than a week ago, and I have been asked no less than a thousand times "Am I going to go to ballet class tooo-daaayy?!"  You have to understand that she has thought of herself as a ballerina for many months now and firmly believes that all her practice while watching the Angelina Ballerina movies has her lined up to be starring in The Nutcracker next month.  The problem largely lies in the fact that Savannah is less than graceful--she is downright clumsy!  Stephen makes fun of me all the time for the many bruises I rack up from colliding with the corner of the counter, the banister, the edge of our bed frame, and any other number of inanimate objects that jump in front of me. 

Let's just say that my ballet dreams were largely unfulfilled as a little girl!  And unfortunately, Savannah takes after me.  She loved this ballet primer class, and I'm hoping (without turning into some crazy Toddlers and Tiaras stage mom) she will stick with it...because she surely makes one adorable little ballerina!

Savannah's favorite mode of transportation across a room is twirling...this was right up her alley

Savannah and Ashley dancing with Miss Haley and practicing her ballet arms and tippy-toes

10 month birthday!

Can't believe how quickly time can fly..."baby" Jackson is already 10 months old!!
Here are a few things he is loving right now:
1. Standing and cruising
2. Climbing the stairs (and occasionally tumbling down one or two)

3. Only eating foods he can feed himself
4. Racing Penny to her dog food bowl in the morning and trying to get a yummy morsel before she inhales it.  This is a pretty funny game to watch!

5. Crawling around our den and kitchen loop saying "dadadadadadada" as though he may materialize if you repeat it with enough volume and frequency
6. Playing with Savannah's Barbies
7. Eating mulch, and sticks, and rocks, and grass...basically any organic matter he can get his hands on

8. Screaming almost everytime I try to put you in a carseat
9. Smiling at everyone!
10. A little dance we fondly call the Jackson Hucky-buck, which consists of bouncing his legs like a frog while flapping his arms wildly
11. Slobbering

12. Giving kisses with a wide open mouth, usually covering the recipient in the above mentioned slobber
13. Making a wide-variety of interesting noises including something that sounds like an elephant, a squeal, a giggle that melts my heart, blowing raspberries, clucking like a chicken, and shrieking...but not too many real words yet!
And finally...
Just being the BEST baby I could have ever asked for!

Happy 10 month birthday, baby Jack!  You sure do light up our lives =)

Bye Bye Snacking!

My biggest weakness is snacking--I will snack all day long and by the end of the day, I really have no clue how much junk I have consumed!  It's easy to convince yourself that one or two bites don't count, but much harder to remember how many little indulgences you have had throughout the day.

His new favorite activity is raiding the pantry!

In my effort to lose the last few baby pounds and get back in shape, I have decided to nix the unhealthy snacking.  This will be hard.  With a 3 year old and 5 year old, our pantry is overflowing with snacks--chips, cookies, crackers, pudding...But I am lucky that my children really do eat pretty healthy and the snacks on hand aren't "too" bad.  This is going to simply be a matter of not munching mindlessly and thoughtfully planning what snacks I have on hand for me.  So today, I whipped up a batch of black bean dip, chopped some veggies, washed some fresh fruit and arranged the refrigerator so I have a shelf just for my " mommy" snacks :)  Here's to dropping a bad habit while sacrificing the yummy treats! 

 

With the signs of Spring showing, the kids and I recently planted a vegetable garden and it is already producing!  We pulled our first batch of radishes and our cilantro and basil are ready to use!  We also planted a lemon tree and have hopes for some strawberries in the future!  Now if I can just keep the rabbits out of it...

Seals and "Sea Enemies"

There are moments that make me forget that they fight like cats and dogs, and leave me believing that they truly do love each other!

Seriously, the sweetest child I have ever known.

Say cheese....

Daddy and his little man.  It took three children for Stephen to decide that wearing the baby carrier isn't too bad :)

Looking at "sea enemies" and loving their sticky tentacles!

Waiting for the big splash!

Waving at the seals

Cheeeeese!

Mom thinks we are a little too close...big guy on the right was flailing around and barking loudly--clearly not happy about his company!

Hard to believe Savannah is almost as tall as Michael!