Playset Fun

We love having a play set in our backyard to enjoy at any moment of the day....my highest recommendations go out to any parent who wants to go get one! Sebastian has mastered the ladder and depending on the day, he likes the slide as well. Ours has a very steep and kind of scary slide so sometimes he will venture down it by himself and others he won't even try. The backyard was always of interest to him, I just always felt bad because all he did was walk back and forth looking at the trees, lol. Now, he actually has something to play on, in, and around.

All of our fun on his new toy:

Cream Cheese and Chili Dip

This recipe is a HUGE hit at parties and get togethers, I can't tell you how many times I have shared the recipe. Jonathan acquired this tasty appetizer from a childhood friend. 

Cream Cheese and Chili Dip

Ingredients:

1 pkg Cream Cheese (softened to room temperature)

1 can Hormel with Beans Chili

1 bag (about 1 cup) shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 bag of Tortilla Chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. 

In an 8x8 glass dish (I have made it in a variety of different pans so whatever you have is fine), spread the softened cream cheese evenly across the bottom of the dish. Next, pour can of Hormel with Beans Chili and spread evenly on top of cream cheese. Sprinkle cheddar cheese across the top.

Heat in oven until cheese is thoroughly melted (approximately 25 minutes). Let cool for about 5 minutes...serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

I usually have to double this recipe and make it in a 9x12 glass pan, that's how much they love it!

Sweet Jambalaya

Okay, I am not at all a fan of New Orleans cuisine BUT this recipe is amazing! It is sweet, not spicy and for some odd reason, I just can't get enough of it! My dad actually found this one (on Kraftfoods.com, I believe) and made it during our lake vacation...I came home and made it that very next week!

Sweet Jambalaya

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Oil

1/2 lb. Sweet Sausage, sliced

1 Onion, chopped

1 can (14 oz.) Diced Tomatoes, undrained

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Chicken Broth

1 Green Pepper

1/2 cup Sweet Baby Rays Barbecue Sauce

1 lb. frozen shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined

2 cups White Rice, prepared

Heat oil in large skillet. Add Sausage and onion, cook until browned (about 10 mins). 

Add remaining ingredients, EXCEPT RICE. Stir well and cook on low heat until shrimp are thoroughly cooked (about 5 mins). 

Serve over white rice and enjoy!!!

Jonathan doesn't like seafood so his portion was shrimp free!

Paisley's 2 Month Check-Up

We ventured back to the peditrician's office today, thankfully it was for a "well visit!" Between the stitches, stomach virus, sinus infection, bladder infection and stitch removal, it has felt like we spend every week there! 19 months old has not been as good to us as the last 18 were!

Paisley, on the other hand, has been doing great...she had a minor stuffy nose at 1 month but since then has been in excellent health! We so very grateful that although she looks exactly like her brother, her temperament is drastically different. She is happy almost 90% of the time and when she is crying, there usually is a reason. She is a pretty good eater and still gets up twice, in the middle of the night, for feedings but I don't mind, we're in a routine now. 

She LOVES to be held! She talks to mommy a lot and smiles when mommy talks back! She is great at holding her head up, not perfect yet but almost there. She enjoys a bath or shower, but feels most comfortable up against someone. 

She is in love with her brother, she can't keep her eyes off him if he is nearby. 

Daddy is her main man though...he is fun to smile at!

Her 2 month check-up went well, she weighed in at 11 lbs 10 ozs and is 22 inches long. She is in the 35th percentile for weight and 12th for height so she is a petite little thing!

Those were definitely taken before she was given her 5 vaccines! She had that slight cold at her 1 month appointment so she couldn't get her Hep B shot. Unfortunately, she had to make up for it at this appointment.  She actually only cried during the shots, she was easily soothed afterwards...she has just been a little sleepy and grumpy since then. This is exactly why I want to get her ears pierced before she is too old to remember. We are going to try again this weekend...it has been a battle of differing information, lol. They are just earrings for God's sake, I've had mine pierced 6 times! You can have your son circumcised within days of being born but everyone under the sun has something to say about how old your daughter should be before getting her ears pierced!

Anyway, she looks adorable in ANY outfit I put her in...she will be one lucky girl when it comes to shopping cause she looks beautiful in every color.

She was not at all a fan of the nice cool water at the pool...hence the sweaty hair! But once again, she looked beautiful in her bathing suit!

She is becoming quite the lovely lady and is more spoiled than ever, by everyone in the family! We are looking forward to celebrating her baptism on July 6th! We are so thrilled to have her in our lives...I can't imagine this world without her...she completes our family!!!

Daddy was working hard, otherwise he would have been in this picture with us!