Parenthood.

The best parts of my day.

It has been a very long time since I have posted BUT I have decided that I will do better. Life gets very busy being a mommy. As I am sure many of you know. Parenthood has been such an adventure, so hard, but yet so worth it. It is honestly crazy, how much you love your own kids. It is a love unlike any other. Our sweet baby Claire is now 2, and I am pregnant with our second baby girl! I feel like I could pop at any time now! I know going from one child to two is going to be quite the adjustment, I hope I can handle it! it has to be a whole new adventure, going from one to two. Yes, I've had a newborn once before so I should know what I am doing this time, right? If that's the case then why do I feel like a scared new parent all over again!? Sometimes, I wish there was a map, a map on parenting. Telling me just what to expect and how to handle each step of the way. But, I strongly believe that parenting is one of the few things you just cant be prepared for. Every child is different, every parent is different. There is NO 100% right answer or way to do things, because each experience is so different. The thing we can always count on, that will never be wrong, is our love for our children. We definitely make mistakes, we also have some major successes. Through it all as long as we let our love for our children be the thing that guides us the most, we cant go wrong. We will be successful parents. Now, don't get my wrong. our love for our children might have us making some really touch decisions that could make them hate us at times. But it will also make us know whats best for them even when they don't. I know this for a fact because of the experiences I have had with my own parents. There were many times during my childhood that they would step in and tell me that I couldn't do something, or couldn't have something, or couldn't hang out with someone, or go somewhere, and at that time I was devastated. It was such a big deal to me at the time, and it felt like the end of my world. But I look back on those moments now and I am so thankful to my parents. I see something now, that I couldn't see then, they were always just looking out of me. They always loved me so much that they were willing to make tough decisions for me in order to keep me safe. Yes, children do need to learn from there own mistakes, but sometimes they cant even see that they are making one. The need us to help guide them along the way. And yes, along the way that might put strain on our relationships with them, but in the end they will love us even more for how much we have loved them. I am not a parenting expert, nor will I ever claim to be. I am just a mom, who loves parenthood and hope that some of my experiences will help other mom's out there. As I am sure your feedback will help me.

so many changes!

Well Claire is now a little over 9 months old and at this point she is doing something new every single day. It is so much fun, it is so awesome to see all the new things she does. I love every little stage we go through with her. Parenthood really never gets old, there is always something new and it is always entertaining. I am so excited for the future and for even more changes. To watch her develop is just incredible!! so, because it has been so long since I have posted anything i am going to do a few updates at once. We went to Utah and saw a bunch of family!!

We did the race for the cure!! and I made Claire a shirt, it said "save my mommy's milk!

We all dressed up (like we always do) and we had a ton of fun!!

Claire meets Grandma for the first time!!

 we had a lot of fun!!

 

















when we got back Aunt Brooke Came for a visit!!

And we went to the beach!

we also went swimming for the fist time!!

life is good. :) its been very fun! and i am sure there are only more fun times to come!!

Chace's Birthday weekend!

Well, Chace's Birthday weekend was a total success! We had a total blast! I made sure that it was a total surprise. I took him to work on Friday, went home and packed for us. Then when it was time to pick him up I hid all of our stuff in the trunk, knowing he wouldn't look in there. After he got in I started heading to the coast. He didn't even realize that we weren't going home until we had been on the road for at least twenty minutes. Making it a surprise was the best part. Anyway we had an awesome weekend. He loved the surprise and we had an amazing time. We went out to some amazing places to eat, we walked along the beach, we went shopping. Chace had an awesome Birthday and I think I had just as good of time as he did. I don't think I've ever had so much fun. It's definitely a very very fun place to visit. So much to do. I think we could have spent a week there. The weekend was not enough. I already want to go on another vacation. If it were up to me that is what I would spend my life doing. Vacationing with  my family. We always seem to have the best times when we are able to let go of our responsibilities and just have fun. Its so great to be able to spend so much quality time with Chace. and I am so happy that I was able to give him such an awesome birthday. he is such a hard worker, he does so much for this family, I just felt that he really deserved to be spoiled. he is such an awesome father and an amazing husband. I love him more and more all the time. I love us. I love our family.
xo

Kelsie

Chace's Birthday

Chace's Birthday is coming up, so I have made some plans that I am really excited about. I am trying really hard to keep it a surprise and since he never looks at "our" blog I guess its safe to say he wont find about it form here! So I found this awesome little cottage that I have rented for the weekend. Its right on the coast. We've been wanting to go to the coast since we moved here and this way we dont have to drive up and drive back, we'll actually be able to spend some time there. so that is very exciting. i just hope that he likes it as much as I know I am going to. The only down side is that its HUGE for only two people and a baby! but it will be fun no matter what! above is the cute little cottage. I am really excited to spend some quality time by the ocean with my hubby and baby. it should be an awesome weekend. :)

I've become obsessed...

OBSESSED with cooking. :) I love it! I cant wait to try something new each night! Tonight I tried this. It turned out AMAZING. you have to try it.

1 lb. chicken breasts with seasonings (1-2 tsp. dried basil, parsley and rosemary; 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes; salt and pepper to taste. Rub into chicken breasts. I also flattened the chicken with a rolling pin before seasoning.)
2 tsp. olive oil
8 oz. dry pasta (I used Conchiglie)
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 T. butter
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 c. fresh broccoli florets
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

Cook chicken in olive oil until done and browned. Set aside.

Cook pasta until "almost" done. Drain.

Add Broccoli to boiling water Cook for about 5 minutes.

Stir butter and garlic in saucepan. Cook until garlic caramelizes. Add cream and cornstarch and stir on medium heat until thickened. Add pasta. Stir in chicken and broccoli and simmer until noodles are done.

I did double the sauce because once I used these amounts I realized it was not going to cover everything.. plus my husband and I like sauce. a lot. :)



Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

oh no!

The moment I have been dreading... has finally arrived. :( My knee popped out of place again. And I am in need of surgery. I have known for a while that I would eventually need to have the surgery since my knee has been popping out of place since I was 12 years old but I've been putting it off for many reasons. anyhow this time it popped out for no reason so now i know that i cannot put it off any longer. If I had been holding Claire or something when it happened she could have been seriously hurt and I am not willing to take that chance. so I've set my first doctors appointment. I am going to get it taken care of right away. AND the wonderful news is that my mom is going to come and help me with taking care of the baby because I wont be able to move around for a while. Cant wait to finally get this problem fixed.

CRAZY!

I swear, in this life you can make all the plans you want... but life rarely ends up going the way you plan. On the one hand I have a wonderful husband and baby girl and family and friends.. so many things to be grateful for. but there are indeed somethings that I wish were a little different. somethings that were definitely not suppose to be the way they are. I've made a few new friends here.. but i really miss my old ones. I've come to the conclusion that although you will make many friends in life, there are some people that leave such an impression on your heart that you will never replace or forget them. I am very grateful to be here in Portland with my hubby and baby girl. its definitely been an adventure so far and a real growing experience.