Surprise Date!

 I woke up Thursday to find the cutest note from Juan telling me that through all my tireless efforts, it's time I receive a gift! And that I should be ready by 5 pm, dressed in my finest, for a surprise date! I had the biggest grin on my face and was crying at the same time. That's pregnancy for you.

He had set up our friend Lindsey to babysit and so we dropped off Amelia and headed downtown. I still had no idea where we were going, but as we got closer I was able to guess: Hopdoddy's! This is a burger place that all our friends have been talking about and Juan and I were both dying to try. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I can't say it was my best burger ever, but it was good. And Juan's, his was better and close to my best burger, juicy, hot sauce, it was delicious. And the shakes, they tasted like Christmas.

 Next stop, UT Austin campus. I was confused, we were dressed up, obviously not for the burger restaurant. And last time we were at UT was for a football game. So I was thinking Disney on Ice or the Nutcracker. Then we get to Bass Concert Hall, so then I'm thinking orchestra or opera. Ha ha, which neither of those sounded like Juan and me. And then I saw the sign:

And I cried again. Beauty and the Beast! It was so good and the voices were amazing. Beast was hideous but you know, he's supposed to be. It was such a good night. Thank you to Juan, it feels extra awesome to be pampered like this when I am so big and pregnant.

 And we've been busy doing other things too. The weather has been beautiful some days, dark and rainy most days. I like it. On the good days, Amelia can eat on the porch, play at the park, in December! And on the bad days, she can wear her cute coat and we can get a taste of a winter that isn't chilling us to the bones.

 My mom sent a package with a gift for each 12 days of Christmas! She is so cute and sweet, and of course thank you to Crystal as well who definitely helped. And can I tell you, best part of staying home for Christmas is all the packages! I love getting packages.

 Last night we went to a Live Nativity in the next town over. This was the real thing people, the whole town of Bethlehem was set up and they acted out the whole Nativity. Amelia wasn't being an angel while we were waiting in the chapel, but once she saw Mary and Joseph, and then all the animals, she was super into it!

Juan and Amelia with the donkey. This picture looks so vintage Juan. I'm pretty sure he looks identical in a picture I took of him at 16 years old. Ageless.

 

We are just making the most of the Christmas season. Maybe I am almost 37 weeks pregnant with plenty to get done before this baby comes. And maybe my house is falling apart and the laundry and dishes are horrendous, but guess what? I don't care! I'm not going to pause for one second and let Christmas pass us by.

And one more happy thing! Baby #2 flipped. She is head down and ready to come! We are still deciding on the name, ugh. Each day I switch between Lucy and Maya. And when I decide on one, something in me starts defending the other. Maya is Juan's pick and Amelia loves it too. She can't say L's yet so she can't say Lucy, and when I ask her to say Maya, she says it with such gusto: Ma-a!

Profile shot of the Baby. If you can make it out. I think she's pretty adorable.

8 Months Pregnant!

I am feeling pretty good in my pregnancy right now. I have a few worries, like the baby's head is up in my ribs right now. I need this little girl to flip for me! And I worry that her birthday will be too close to Christmas. I know that Amelia was 4 days late and I am hoping the same for this one. We recently got a King sized bed! And it has been a dream when it comes to sprawling out and sleeping with extra pillows. There's more than enough room! I am still going on walks with friends and keeping up like normal. No terrible aches or pains. I do completely shut down around 10 pm every night. Like I feel like I can't even move. 

We celebrated St Nick's on December 5th. It is a little tradition we take from Wisconsin. Santa fills our stocking on Dec 5 and in our family, he brings us new ornaments for the tree! We added a Mickey Mouse and Simba ornament this year, to Amelia's delight:

Amelia is just at the best age right now. She is just picking up on colors. Well actually only one color- pink. That's my girl. I am so not a girly girl, but I do love Pink as I grow older and have my girls to dress. She is talking more and more and almost every night when we put her down to bed, I miss her and can't wait to hear the new things she says the next day, or the new toys or games she will want to play. She thinks of the funniest things. I am DYING to see her open her presents. She loves to sing Rudolph, especially when we do all the actions.

I am really trying to teach Amelia about Jesus and I try to explain the story of Christ's birth using her cute Nativity. She definitely recognizes baby Jesus and has been able to identify all pictures of Jesus for a while now. Her mind is just soaking it all in, and I'm glad she's learning the real meaning of Christmas along with all the Santa and tree and presents part. 

Twelve Day of Christmas start tomorrow! I am just so excited! I can't believe it's getting closer and I don't want to miss one moment with my little family.

Loaded weekend

 We got the weekend off to an early start by taking Amelia to see the Big Tree on Thursday. We ate at Panera (love having a Panera Bread here) and then we headed to the Domain for shopping. I told Juan I could go there every night, it is just so Christmas-y there. And there is a big fireplace and people were bundled by the fire (I'm pretty sure it was high 60's but hey, people like to bundle up by fires).

 Saturday morning was our church party and we had breakfast, and then we stopped to see Santa. We were preparing Amelia for Santa, I even showed her picture from last year so she could see how happy she was:

Sweetest Santa picture ever. 

This year was not so successful. She kept running up to Santa while we were waiting in line, studying him and keeping a certain distance between them. But when it came time to sit on his lap, no way, she had a locked grip around Juan's neck and he couldn't release her. So we are stuck with this lame picture. Not even a sitting-in-lap-screaming classic picture. We may just have to find another Santa this year. 

Then we were off to get Amelia's first haircut! One night I just decided it needed to happen. Her top layer was longer than the bottom curls and those curls just need to be shown off while they last. Here she was the night I decided it was time:

Frizzy and long in the back. And I wouldn't even know where to start with product in my toddler's hair. 

So here she is at the hair cutting place. It was so cute and fun for kids. She could have had a blast, instead she assumed Zombie mode. Perfectly still and inexpressive the whole time.

 

And a real life after shot. No product or anything, the curls just naturally come out and don't frizz. Yay!

Her haircut is pretty noticeable, especially looking at the first picture in this post, it's definitely not that long on the sides anymore. I love it! We continued our packed day on Saturday with Amelia's first official Birthday Party, her little friend Lily turns 2 on Monday. It was so cute and fun to see all the kids running around and playing. And then we headed straight to a Gingerbread House party! Here is our Gingerbread creation, Juan came up with the concept, I executed.

And we won Most Creative! Check out Mr Hunchback pulling the rope on the clock tower (which I'm now realizing should have been a bell tower, haha). Pretty awesome.

We have started Time Out with Amelia in the past couple months. She sits at a certain place in her room and folds her arms while I count to 20. Then she gives me a hug and I explain again why I put her in time out. Well today she was stepping on a game box and bending it, I asked her to stop, she wouldn't. And so then I said, do you want to go to time out? She ran to her room and plopped in the spot all happy, then waited for me to count. When I got to 20 I said, all done, come give mommy a hug and she turned to me and held out her little pointer finger, her way of saying, one more time? Ha! She's not getting it people, she's not supposed to love Time Out.

Amelia is obsessed with a new Ringtone of mine. Here is a video of her loving it.

Happy December!

Turkey Day

And I really mean Turkey Day people. Juan, my husband, took over making the turkey this year. You see, we weren't traveling for Thanksgiving and it was my first time away from family. We were getting together with a few friends (9 total adults) and I wanted a real turkey. So I volunteered to do it. Next thing I know, Juan is doing the turkey. He is watching videos on the Food Network website, he is taking notes, he is making lists, he is doing the grocery shopping. Me, I wasn't even bossy or nagging. I left it all up to him, and put my trust in his skills. And it paid off big time! I did take pictures along the way so let me continue telling you all about his awesomeness:

Raw, thawed turkey.

Turkey sitting in brine. That's right, he was fancy like that and soaked it in a brine. The brine is  a broth mixture with spices, those are the all spice berries you see. You put it in a bucket so the turkey can soak. And the ice to keep the turkey at a safe temp. That's the turkey you see peaking through.

Prepping the turkey for the oven, stuffing it with apples, onions, and herbs. 

Fresh out of the oven! Looking delish.

 Seriously folks, his turkey was juicy and melt in your mouth yumminess. Everyone loved it. My heart grew 3 sizes that day for Juan. Haha.

Our thanksgiving plate. You can tell I was at a friend's and being conservative. I definitely went back for seconds and maybe thirds.

Our family. Amelia opting for the distant stare.

  We hung out at Blakely and Lindsey's all day, just lounging and chatting. The pies were all delicious. It was a perfect Thanksgiving.

We decorated for Christmas a few days before Thanksgiving. I like to have the holiday weekend to soak in the Christmas decorations. Here is our cute apartment all decorated:

Amelia loves these snowmen. She kisses them goodnight and says good bye every time we leave the apartment. We even have a snowman ornament on the tree that she says is their baby. She fed it some milk. Adorable.

My mom sent this toy Nativity for Amelia and I squealed with joy as I opened the package. I LOVE it, and I love that Amelia loves it and she has the Angel fly all around and is learning Hee Haw for donkey and how to spit for the camel. She is learning all about Baby Jesus too, and Mary and Joseph. I loved playing with the Nativity when I was young.

Our tree. This is a $16 tree. Making it's 5th year appearance. I love how it's crooked and  uneven. I love all the ornaments we've collected. Amelia has also learned Ho Ho Ho, it sounds very similar to her Uh-Oh.

 

I am truly grateful for our Thanksgiving experience. I was texting my sisters all day long and although it was hard to be away from Utah, we still had the best time with our little family and our close friends. We have plenty to be thankful for over here.

Six Years!

Juan and I celebrated 6 Years on Saturday. We dropped Amelia off at 1 pm and set off on our extended date of celebration! Thanks to Kasee and Steph for babysitting, it was so nice to know Amelia was happy and comfortable with her babysitters. But first, we started off the day with a morning at home:

 I drew this cute picture on the mirror of our family and I wrote, "I'm so happy to have you by my side each day!" Juan's face is blank because then as he's looking in the mirror, his face would fill in the drawing. Clever? Haha yeah, I'm a nerd.

Next we took Amelia to the park so she could show daddy her awesome slide skills.

After we dropped Amelia off, we went to lunch at Juan's pick, Juarez Bakery. It is a cute mexican restaurant with delicious quesadillas, home-made tortillas and thick and yum. Then we headed out shopping to Lakeline Mall. It was lovely to walk around just the two of us, and I miraculously didn't buy anything to Juan's delight. We then saw Breaking Dawn.

 Here we are in the theater. Juan is such a trooper, seeing the twilight movies with me each anniversary weekend the past 3 years. We both enjoyed the movie, although the honeymoon scenes were super awkward. I'm not a super fan, so don't attack me for the critique.

 Next we headed to Bess Bistro. It is in Austin and owned by Sandra Bullock. You know me and my celeb obsessions. Sadly we did not see her there that night. But the atmosphere and food were really good, and the prices weren't terrible either!

 Fried Green Tomatoes. We had to try this southern classic. They served them with a crab salad and hot sauce, Juan and I both loved.

 I got Jambalaya. It was vegetarian served over steam rice. It was light and very well seasoned. I enjoyed it, and am glad I tried another fun southern dish. But I wouldn't order this again.

 Juan ordered Shrimp and Grits. I loved ordering such new things that we wouldn't normally try. Juan's honey sauce was so so good. 

 And we got an order of fries in case we both hated our meals, haha. Always a back-up plan. The fries were actually very delicious.

 Overall we loved the restaurant. The atmosphere was quaint and welcoming.

 Oops let's not forget dessert. Best Creme Brulee possible. It was creamy and flavorful. Juan got bread pudding, which he liked. I'm not a fan.

Next up we headed to The Domain for an outdoor shopping experience. It is like the Gateway but at least twice the size, and a good mix of super fancy and regular people stores. I love outdoor malls. We went there with the purpose of seeing the Big Christmas Tree. I am so excited for Christmas!

 Juan and I in front of the tree. Juan is needing to work on an actual smile, right? Or maybe he should start with looking like he's having a pleasant time, rather than looking like he's in pain. Love you.

And one more picture of Amelia, her first shiner!

I do not delight in her pain, but look how tough she looks! She was playing at a friend's and pulled down their bar stool on top of her. We were there, just couldn't get to her fast enough. She cried for maybe 1 minute. That's my girl.

11*11*11

This is what we were up to at 11:11 on 11.11.11:

My cute mom called me and reminded me to be sure to document this moment. That only happens once in a LIFETIME. We were at the park, sunny and in the 60s. Nothing to complain about there. Amelia did not like being stopped to take a picture with mom, as you can tell. She is getting so good at parks, going up and down slides all by herself.

Another cute thing about Amelia, she has to sleep with her baby and her blanket. Those are the two mandatory items. But often times the other baby joins her, and the glow worm, and Minnie Mouse. And they don't just stay in the crib, she hands me all of them before I can pick her up and get her out after nap. Today she was begging me for nap, and in her delirium grabbed the glow worm to put in the crib with her. I quickly changed her diaper and she peeks into her crib and says, uh-oh. Wrong baby in the crib. And she ran out to get the right baby. She cracks me up.

One last note about Baby #2. Notice that I am no longer referring to her as Lucy. The name is subject to change! Lucy is still toward the top of the list, but Juan was getting cold feet about it and now another name has emerged as a front-runner. I love it! I love looking at names and so I'm excited for the possible change. We do still have 2 months-from today actually!

Another Quilt

First off, I had a few requests for the Caramel Apple Cheesecake recipe, so I thought I'd just post it here. I got it from http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/09/caramel-apple-cheesecake-bars.html. It is delicious. And I have a history of messing up with desserts, but I have made this twice successfully. There are a lot of steps and it takes work, but well worth it!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel topping, recipe follows

1/2 cup caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!

Streusel Topping:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.

I have finally started the quilt for baby #2. With Amelia, I had her quilt done by this time in my pregnancy. So I'm getting a bit of a late start. I thought I'd be a professional sewer by now, but actually no, I haven't done 1 sewing project since! The above picture IS NOT the finished product of a quilt I made, but instead my inspiration. I love the aqua/dark pink combo. But please do not expect my quilt to be that beautiful.

I loved making Amelia's quilt and I am excited to get started again! I have the fabric and have already cut out a few squares. I'll get a picture of my fabric once the squares are all cut. 

See you next time!