And also...

...we have the cutest baby in the whole world! Thank you Target Portrait Studio! (especially for the free tiny digital version of all the pictures, just big enough to blog) Here are a few of our favorites.

And this one just CRACKS ME UP! I almost expect her to meow or squeek or something cute!

Eh, What's Up Doc??

There's really no theme for this blog, just a few "pics of the day." Derek was teaching Sofie how to suck on a carrot...free carrots! Yay for WIC!!

Andrea and Sofie have been enjoying the warmer weather these past few days. We even had sunshine for about two days, unfortunately not today though. :(

Don't let all that snow trick you, it was pretty warm. (My parents' house is north facing so the snow on the lawn doesn't melt until about April.)

Sofie the Jewelry Model. I think it will be a great career for her...I'm not too sure about the whole posing nude thing though.

And of course: Patty-Cake

Wonder of Wonder, Miracles of Miracles

We may have finally arrived! As some of you may know, ever since we transferred Sofie to her crib to sleep it's been a nightmare, (except for nightmares usually occur while you're sleeping...) I've been lucky to get 45 minutes of solid sleep at a time. However, this week Sofie has made an incredible shift over to.....drum roll please..... 12 hours of solid sleep!!! It's only been a few days, so I can't count on it lasting, but it's sure been nice! I haven't been able to get much use out of it yet though, because my body (and the means by which Sofie eats) is used to waking up every hour. So if this lasts, my body gets used to it, and I can convince Derek to go to bed earlier, life will be like a dream!

Sofie a few days old

Sofie 5 1/2 months

情人节

Between Derek and I, it can't really be expected to have a traditional Valentine's Day, but it was the best I've ever had! First of all, Derek gave me a beautiful wooden box that he made (under the tutelage of my Dad), on the inside he put a recipe for Zongzi. Zongzi is a traditional holiday food eaten in China. It's glutinous rice, stuffed with a chicken/mushroom/sausage mix, all wrapped in bamboo leaves, and steamed in a bamboo steamer (which I got for Christmas). So we took a trip down to Chao's and bought all the necessary ingredients. The Laoban was very helpful in getting the right stuff for us and giving us all the advice she could muster (they're good at that...) It worked out perfect and tasted amazing!!

Soaking the leaves.
Steaming the rice.
The filling, cooked with soy sauce, garlic and rice wine.
Stuffing the Zongzi.
Wrapping it with twine.
In the bamboo steamer.
The Valentine spread.
All done. Tasty town!

My end of the deal was pretty fun too. I surprised Derek with my own version of an expensive Hotel Valentine Suite...in our own room. I converted our regular bed into a "4 post" bed (using the wall, tacks, clothes rack, duct tape, and a broom handle) added some fancy decor, and scrounged up some fancy purple silk bedding that I drenched in lavendar fabric softener. I wiped the room clean of our every day stuff so it felt like a hotel room. It was so fun! I think Derek was impressed... I may leave it up. :) And Thank You to Sofie for sleeping awesome that night!!

Babes and More Babes

Last night I was able to meet up with a couple of high school friends! It was really fun! Actually, we did some Mary Kay stuff, which was interesting, but a great excuse to see a few people. Here's a picture of the babes (if you can see past my silly blush...)

And here are a few more babes! All three of us had babies last year, so it was great to see how fast these sweet girls have grown! Essence (4.5 months), Sofie (5.5 months), and Ashlynn (10 weeks) are like the best of friends now :)

And here is Grandma Kathy insisting on holding all three at once.

Random Stuff for Grandparents to See

Some of you may think, "wonderful, another still shot of Sofie..." but poor little Sofie has grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that don't get to see her very often. So here are just a few random things I thought I'd share.

Sofie sending a Valentine Kiss :)


HAPPY VALENTINE'S!!

Sofie's saddened countenance as she realizes that she's already 5 1/2 months and has no boyfriend for Valentine's.

Aunt Roo got her wisdom teeth out, and Roo is still just as helpful as ever with Sofie. Sofie loves Roo so much that she didn't even mind the death colored skin, gauze stuffed mouth, and ice packed cheeks!

Taking after grandparents on both sides, mom and dad, and a few aunts...Sofie loves her books!

Sofie sings for her supper. And spits.

Our little couch potato

The Word of Wisdom Works!!

So, those of you who have known me for a while know that I've always struggled with my weight. Always. However, a few years ago I took charge and lost 50 pounds. I didn't do it by dieting or getting a personal trainer, in fact I could stand on a soap box all day about diets. I simply made better choices about what I ate, and made sure to exercise 4-5 times a week for about 30 minutes. And I don't mean to make it sound easy. It's hard. Probably one of the hardest things to do actually. The key is consistency and free time (it takes time to cook, exercise, and get enough sleep to want to exercise and eat right.) The time thing was a huge deal for me because as soon as I got married and got a full time job I slowly gained 15 of it back. Then...I had a baby!! Yay for Sofie! I didn't actually gain very much weight through pregnancy, and I'm only 5 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. However, my goal is to get back to my pre-full time job weight. :) So, if you do the math, I've got about 20 pounds to go.

So, why am I telling you these things?? First of all, it's time consuming to lose the weight, so it's on my mind a lot...and therefore a large part of my life. Secondly, I'm hoping that by writing it down and telling everyone, it will make me feel more accountable and more resolved. Officially, my goal was to maintain my current weight because I'm nursing and it's not recommended to try to lose weight when you're still eating for two. My goal was to eat right and exercise...and whooops in the last two weeks I've lost 5 pounds!! Way to go for eating right and exercising! But let me tell you, I have to eat a ton these days because nursing sucks the calories out of me, as well as exercising. So, I will keep you posted on my progress. And if there is anyone else working at the same thing, I'd love the moral support. Here are a few pictures to show you my lifelong journey of healthy living...(sounds like a Biggest Loser commercial, which by the way is an incredibly motivating show!!)

China 2004 -close to my heaviest

Me and Roo 2006 -my thinnest

Sofie's Blessing 2008 -somewhere between

Shhh! Top Secret!

Derek's mom gave me an awesome recipe book that has "top secret restaurant recipes." So far, I've only tried one of the recipes, but it is sooo good and sooo easy! So, I thought I'd share. Here is a picture I took of my finished product and the recipe.

P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef
Menu description: "Quickly cooked steak with scallions and garlic"

This recipe serves 2

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon minced ginger (I used powdered)

1 tablespoon chopped garlic (powdered works if you have to)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 pound flank steak (stew meat works)

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 large green onions

1. Make the sauce by heating 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Don't get the oil too hot or you'll get a major splatter when adding the other liquids. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove it from the heat. (Mine has never thickened, but it's just fine runny!)

2. Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch thick bite-size slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty-five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts. (It doesn't really matter.)

3. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very this dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.

4. As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil). Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking. (I didn't want to deep fry mine, so I just put enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan so it doesn't stick!) Add the beef to the oil and saute for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges. You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon or a spider to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oild out of the wok or skillet. (If you use only a little oil, like I do, you just need to drain any excess oil.) Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions. Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate. Leave the excess sauce behind in the pan.

I put it over rice with some steamed brocolli and cabbage, pour a little bit more of the sauce on top, not much, then sprinkle sesame seeds for a garnish! Hope it works for you, enjoy!!

The Circle of Life

A few years ago I went to Africa. It was one of the best times of my life!

I loved it so much that I decided Sofie should have the opportunity! So, we went on Safari today!

Here is Sofie in the Safari grass!

Mommy! So scared of the lions!

Don't worry, these ones don't bite!

Okay, so really it wasn't Africa this time...but the Bean Museum is about as close as you can get...especially on a single income! :)

(left to right-Roo my sister, me and Sofie, April and Orion, Alyssa and Cyrus)