Mayse Farm

Last year was our first family experience with Mayse.  We waited a little late in the season to go, so it was on our "to-do" list early this year!  We received an invitation from our friends, The Fosters, so we went this past weekend!  Here's a few pictures from our trip!

We can't pass up pony rides..

Hayden wasn't nearly as excited as Allie was.

Kevin was so excited about doing the corn maze.  I thought it would be a little maze, but we realized pretty fast there was nothing little about it and it was a long long maze.  The kids didn't love it and it was not stroller friendly!  We turned around and found our way out, but I don't know that we'll be doing that again anytime soon.

Not many pictures of Krissy.  She will enjoy it more next year!

We took the hay ride out to the pumpkin patches so the kids could pick their own pumpkins! (We didn't realize last year that you could do that!)

Allie kept picking out odd pumpkins (green and pink ones) and I kept trying to point out nice circular orange ones.  Kevin kept telling me to zip it and let her pick out the one she liked... so being a sneaky mom.... I had planted one in her path and told her to see if she liked any in the area.  She ran right over to the one I "planted" and said, "I want this one!" Kevin gave me the look, but hey, it worked!  She picked it and I approved :)

The boys loved the little pumpkin/gourd sling shots.  You tried to hit Captain Hook out in the field.

They let the kids wear sunglasses for the sling shot game, and I think Allie needs a pair like this!

Krissy's 1st Birthday

We celebrated Krissy's 1st birthday last weekend with our family.  Here are some pictures from our little party....

I served a baked potato bar for lunch.

White & strawberry cupcakes + Krissy's smash cake

She loved her potato!

and balloons!

Smash cake

She kept eating the icing so I cut the cake to show her there was cake inside!

Cupcakes for the family

Messy baby!  We took a quick bath break before gifts.

The past year was the fastest year I've experienced yet.  Krissy is most easily summed up by 2 words:  Happy Baby!  She is always smiling.  She loves playing with her siblings and is just as content playing in the kids toy kitchen by herself.  She loves animals, real or stuffed.  She loves attention.  She was my first baby to start walking before her first birthday.  She has 6 teeth so far, and I'm thinking those next bottom two will be popping through the gums soon.  She also looks a lot like my baby pictures (more than the other two).  I'm excited to see how she changes in the next year of life! 

Ham & Cheese Pinwheels

I've had pretty good luck with my pinterest recipes lately!  My latest success was ham and cheese pinwheels.  They caught my eye, but I was skeptical that they would turn out as good as they looked.  Sometimes I'm a little hesitant in working with yeast, but this seems like a no fail recipe!  Here's how to make them:

Recipe from JamieCooksItUp
Approximate time from start to finish: 50 mins
Makes 24 pinwheels

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C warm water
2 T sugar
1 T yeast (I just used a packed of RapidRise - I think it's about 1T)
1/2 t salt
4-4 1/2 C flour
1 pound deli ham
2 C shredded cheddar cheese

*Preheat oven to 170*F
1.  Pour water, sugar and yeast into mixer, and mix for about 30 seconds.  Let the mixture rest 5 minutes (it will start to get bubbly).
2.  Add salt and 2 C flour.  Once mixed in, add another 2 - 2 1/2 C of flour.  You want the dough to pull away from the bowl.  Once it's all combined, let the dough mix for 5 minutes.
3.  Spray the counter with cooking spray and divide the dough in half.  Let the dough rest for another 5 minutes.
4.  Roll out one half of the dough into a large rectangle.  Top with half of the ham and half of the cheese.  Roll up the long end and slice into 12 pinwheels.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Repeat for the other half of the dough.
5.  Place both cookie sheets in the oven for 10 minutes.  The dough should start to puff up a little.  Without opening up the oven, crank the temp up to 350* and bake another 15-20 mins.  My dough stayed pretty white, so even after 20 mins the dough wasn't darker.  They were completely baked though.
6.  Let them rest for 3-5 mins before serving.

We were surprised at how much we liked these!  They were pretty and looked like I put a lot of work into them, but they were actually really simple to make!  Another big perk for me was we got 2 meal out of the recipe, and I had about $5 in the ingredients!  Very cost effective!  Kevin and I are trying to come up with other combinations that would be good in the "pinwheel".  I think we might try a pizza version next time!

Hog Wrestling

Last Saturday, Kevin and his men's bible study group took part in the hog wrestling contest at the Dale Fall Fest.  They didn't come in first place, but it was highly entertaining and they have all said they want to do it again next year!  In the video, Kevin starts on in the back left.  Please excuse the screaming wife in the background! ;)

Brownie Cookies

I had said last week that I found two "keeper" recipes.  These brownie cookies were the second recipe (the first was the chicken spaghetti I blogged about Friday).  I had high hopes for these cookies.  I was slightly annoyed the dough had to chill 2 hours - I'm not a patient person - BUT they met my expectations perfectly!  Very brownie like, chewy, chocolatey but not too much.  They were just what I had wanted!

The recipe came from Tasty Kitchen.  I found them on Pinterest :)

(photo from TastyKitchen.com)

Ingredients

• 1 package (18 To 21 Oz. Box) Fudge Brownie Mix (I used Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies mix)
• 1-¼ cup All-purpose Flour
• ¼ cups Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 whole Eggs
• ½ cups Butter, Melted And Cooled
• 2 Tablespoons Water, Or More As Needed
• 1 cup Dark Chocolate Chunks (I used Tollhouse Semi-Sweet chunks) 

Instrucions
1. Whisk together brownie mix, flour, and sugar.
2.Using a heavy spoon, stir in the eggs one at a time, followed by butter and 2 tablespoons water. If the batter appears like there is too much flour, add 1 more tablespoon of water. Batter will be very thick.
3. Fold in chocolate chunks
4. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Grease a cookie sheet. (I prefer to use parchment paper)
7. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough on the cookie sheet. You want pretty thick cookies here to get the brownie feel, about 3 inches apart. Press down slightly. Don’t flatten completely. Bake for 8-10 minutes. 
8. Remove from oven, allow to cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

I baked my cookies at 9 minutes and they turned out soft with a semi chewy edge.  I'd love them baked 10-11 minutes for a crunchy edge - so maybe I'll try that next time!  This is a great twist when you want brownies (and I've been wanting them a lot lately)!  Hope you all enjoy!!!

Chicken Spaghetti

I tried 4 new recipes last week and only two were keepers.  This dish is SO good... comfort food at it's finest!  The original recipe is from the Pioneer Woman, so I knew it couldn't be that bad, but I also didn't expect it to be as good as it was!

(Photo from Pioneer Woman's site)

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cooked Chicken
• 3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
• 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup (I used cream of chicken)
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1/4 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper
• 1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
• 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
• 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• Salt And Pepper, to taste (I only used pepper, didn't think it needed the salt)
• 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook the chicken in the crockpot and on low for 8 hours. Cook spaghetti noodles (the original recipe suggest cooking in chicken broth) until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.
Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

You can click back on her original recipe for picture by picture details.  Kevin and I LOVED it.  I left the green pepper big so I could pick it out, but it gave the dish a great flavor!  I'm so anxious to make this again.  I may even make a batch of it before baby boy gets here and throw it in the freezer!  Try this recipe, you won't be disappointed!!! 

Holeshot

In the middle of the week last week, Hayden woke up with a fever.  It was followed by big red bumps all over his body.  After a trip to the doctor I found out he had hand foot mouth.  It spreads easily, so the last week my efforts have been focused mainly on sanitizing our house.  Krissy ended up getting it this past Tuesday, and my brain has been focused on taking care of two sick kids and trying to keep Allie healthy (all while I had cold too!). 

On Tuesday, the same day Krissy broke out in bumps, Holeshot, our grey cat, threw up 4 times in our bedroom.  It was a weird greenish color, but I just thought "I can't take care of a sick cat too". After cleaning up Holeshots messes (which he watched me clean up), I put Allie down for a nap and realized Holeshot followed me into the kids room and was urinating on the floor.  I about lost it and decided the garage was the best place for him for the day.

I texted Kevin telling him Holeshot had gotten sick on our floor then peed in the kids room and he was out for the day.  I like to start those texts with "Your cat did ____" because I have always called Holeshot his cat and Harry my cat.  Kevin always teased me that I'd be more emotional than he would be if anything ever happened to Holeshot (he was right).  Anyways, neither one of us were concerned about what had happened. 

The next morning, Wednesday, I was loading up the kids in the van to run to the bank.  Holeshot was laying on the ground in the garage and had no interest in moving.  I left the house door open for a minute and he never moved.  I got down and pet him and reazlied he was not feeling good.  I could see in his eyes he felt horrible.  The dog ran in and looked like she wanted to pounce on him and I shooed the dog away.  I got in the van, started it up, and Holeshot never moved (normally he runs away at the sound of the garage door opening or the car starting).  I immediately went into super concerned mode.  Kevin had been at an appointment, and we swapped vehicles so I could go to my DOK class, and I told him when he got home to check on Holeshot because something wasn't right. 

I put the situation in the back of my head the hour I was at class, and while I was getting ready to leave church I decided to do a google search on cats throwing up green.  Every article said "get the cat to the vet immediately".  I came home and reported my findings to Kevin, and he still wasn't worried and kept thinking Holeshot just felt bad and would bounce back.  I talked him into using a medicine squirter and going to squirt some water in Holeshots mouth.  Holeshot had wedged himself behind our deep freeze (I didn't even think it was possible for him to get back there).  My next thought was "he's trying to hide so he can die".  I went into panic mode and Kevin kept insisting that he would be fine.  (In Kevin's defense, I have thought our cats were dying more than once.  They always ended up being fine, never probably needed any vet care, but we'd be out several hundred dollars.  So you can see why Kevin hesitated.)

Kevin took my van to work, and I had made plans to stay at home with the kids all evening.  I started texting a friend, Stephanie, that works at a vet clinic.  I was telling her the symptoms he was having and she so sweetly offered to take him to the vet for me (so I didn't have to get out with the sickly kiddos).  I wanted to make sure Kevin was fine with that, so I called him at work.  He didn't immediately jump on board, but I kept on persisting.  It's hard watching an animal be in pain!  He agreed it wouldn't be a bad idea to have him looked out and get a couple tests run.

Stephanie got to our house right after 4.  She scooped him up and was on the way to the vet.  I promised to keep my phone glued to me and let her know she could call with any questions she had.  She called and asked about past vaccines and some general health questions.  They ran a test for feline leukemia (which is contagious to other cats) and it came back negative.  Then they drew some blood to check overall functions of the major organs.  It took about 15 minutes to get the results back.

Stephanie called back to say Holeshot's kidney's were shutting down.  In fact, his numbers were so high, the test wouldn't even read them.  His blood was being poisioned by his failing kidneys and he was in pain.  I knew he was.  I still broke down, and asked her what the options were.  The vet offered to do IV fluids for 48 hours and retest, but there was very little hope that he'd improve, and if he did, it would be very short lived, like a few days to a week, then we'd be right back in the same boat.  The answer was obvious but I didn't want to accept it.  I called Kevin and I told him the options.  Neither one of us had ever had to make a decision like that so unexpectedly.  Kevin so unselfishly said that they had a great weekend together this past weekend, and he couldn't make him suffer another day or two just so we could be there to tell him bye.  I asked if he was sure and it took him a minute, but he said he was sure. 

I called Stephanie back, and tried to talk through my tears.  I told her we decided we'd let him go.  We didn't want him suffering any more.  She told me she agreed it was the best thing for him.  Kevin and I were at peace knowing that was the best decision we could have made for him.

I spent the rest of the evening crying my eyes out and being consoled by my kids.  I kept texting Kevin telling him it was pathetic how well our kids handle death and here I sat being so sad about it.  Allie would say "Holeshot has a new body in Heaven Mommy."  and Hayden would say, "I bet Holeshot is playing with TJ."  Their talks warmed my heart. 

Kevin said it may be easier on him to not have to bury his kitty this morning, so I asked my dad if he minded coming over to do it before Kevin got home from work.  He agreed to help, and Holeshot is buried right behind TJ.  I now have even more of a desire to make that shaded area in our yard more beautiful than it is.  I have visions of my favorite flower (the bleeding heart) blooming all around back there. 

Our other kitty, Harry, cried more than usual last night.  I told Kevin I felt like he knew.  We've had two cats from the time we were married so it's weird thinking there is just one.  We have no plans to add another kitty to the family because Harry doesn't take well to other cats. 

We enjoyed Holeshot for the last 8 years and had every intention of spending another 10+ years with him.  He was a very patient kitty with the kids.  The day Kevin found him, I was working at Old Navy.  He called to say he found the fuzziest baby kitten ever and he wanted to keep it.  I can't turn my back on a kitten, especially "the fuzziest baby kitten" (I have a thing with animals that have long fur), so I couldn't wait to get off work that day and go meet this new baby kitten.  Holeshot was not at all what I was excepting, he was a short haired kitten with big dirty ears, but he managed to find a place in my heart.  He was our first "baby".  He had the funniest high pitch meow, and was always welcoming to other animals I brought home.  He was loved by us all, even Krissy (she loved chasing him).  We will miss him!

Single Umbilical Artery

Last Tuesday we had our scheduled ultrasound and doctors appointment.  The ultrasound lasted an unusually long time (about 50 mins), but our ultrasound lady was a student and I assumed she was having a hard time getting the pictures she needed.  She seemed to keep measuring the same things (head, legs, etc.) over and over.  She told me her supervisor would be in shortly to get some more pictures and check all her measurements.  Baby boy was extra cooperative and once the supervisor came in, it wasn't much longer before we walked across the hall to the doctor's office.

The doctor's appointment was at 12, and there wasn't much action was in the waiting room.  The few people that had been in there had been called back shortly after noon.  About 12:30, after seeing a couple groups of ladies head to lunch, I began to think they had forgotten about us.  I sat and waited and about 12:45 a nurse called me back.  We did the usual blood pressure and weight check, then we waited in a room for the doctor.  As it got close to 1, Kevin was getting concerned about being late for work and I insisted that he just go ahead and go.  I went through everything that I thought the doctor was going to say.  He felt comfortable leaving, and when he opened the door to leave, the doctor was walking to our room.  She told him to stay for just a minute and she wouldn't keep us long.

She jumped right into saying my umbilical cord had a single artery and a single vein.  I'm thinking, "ok, that sounds good to me", but she went on to explain that normally you have two arteries in your umbilical cord.  She went through a list of scary things that sometimes can happen when you only have one artery, but kept focusing on the fact that our baby boy looked perfect on ultrasound.  (Typically when there are genetic problems associated with SUA {about 20% of the time}, the baby doesn't measure right, and you'd be able to tell that at the 2nd trimester ultrasound).  Everything measured right on track, nothing seemed abnormal, and 75+% of the people that have single umbilical artery end up having perfectly healthy babies.  The chances of it happening is about 1 out of every 100.

Our doctor suggested going ahead with the blood test at my next appointment that will rule out some genetic problems associated with SUA (although she doesn't think this baby shows any indication of having a single problem) and told me to expect lots of ultrasounds starting at 28 weeks and weekly monitoring starting at 34 weeks (I'll have to go get hooked up to the machines and let them monitor the baby for about an hour once a week).  I'll also have to be on top of the "kick counts" every day to make sure the baby is continuing to stay active.

The doctor kept reassuring us that she expects a very favorable outcome and went on to say 20 years ago they had none of this technology that's out there today and they wouldn't know if babies had SUA until they cut the umbilical cord once they were born.  The day we received the news I had a mini melt down thinking about all the "what ifs" and realized that it was a total waste of my time to even think like that because everything is out of my control and the doctor gave us a very good report on our little guy.  The Lord blessed us with this baby, and He's in control of what happens - we've cast all our cares upon Him!  Hoping to share more ultrasound pictures in October :)  Here's a couple of my favorite from the ultrasound last Tuesday...

Doesn't he have the cutest little profile?!

He tried putting his hand in his mouth at one point.  Pretty cute to watch!

Gender Reveal

This afternoon we had some family and friends over for our gender reveal party!  Here's some pictures from the party!

The snack line up.....

Cupcakes, Cookies, Chex mix, drinks and some ultrasound pictures that decorated the table.

Pink & Blue sugar cookies

Yellow cupcakes with chocolate icing and blue cream filling

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing and blue cream filling

Blue & Pink drinks for the kids

Everyone's guesses

 It's a .......

 BOY!!!

We had some balloons fly away and some tied down in the box.

I thought my pinkish color dress may throw everyone off - so excited to be having another little guy!

August's Mid-Month Update

Outside my window . . . it is absolutely beautiful!  I wish I could bottle up this warm sunshiny weather!

I am thinking . . . I love that my girls nap at the same time in the afternoon!  It's a lovely break for me and I get great one-on-one time with Hayden.

I am thankful for . . . ultrasounds!  Looks like we will be having a lot with this baby so it will be fun to see him/her so frequently! 

In the kitchen . . . my sink is full of dishes I need to hand wash - boo!

I am wearing . . . maternity jean capris and a brown maternity tshirt

I am creating . . . an assortment of things to make for our little gender reveal get-together on Saturday.  Sweets don't sound good to me so I'm having a hard time deciding what to make.  Maybe I'll just serve nachos and pizza...only joking - I'm planning on cupcakes, chocolate covered pretzels and maybe a chex mix.

I am going . . . bonkers trying to keep referring to baby #4 in gender neutral terms!  I had no idea it would be so hard to know and not accidentally say!  Just two more days, and the secret will be out!

I am wondering . . . what we will end up naming the new baby.  Kevin is picking the name this time and he's not really in any hurry to pick a name.  Maybe that's a mom thing?  Regardless, I'm having to practice patience, which is never a bad thing.

I am reading . . . I've given up my reading time at night and lately have been listening to old sermons from Brand New Church.  They have a free app (just type in 'Brand New Church') and their pastor is absolutely wonderful!  So entertaining to listen to! 

I am hoping . . . to go back to Smother's Park in Owensboro again soon!  It's beautiful and kid and dog friendly!

I am looking forward to . . . a visit from my sis in the next couple weeks!

I am hearing . . . the tv and cicadas outside

Around the house . . . there are toys strung out everywhere.  I would really enjoy and use a play room.  Maybe one day!

One of my favorite things . . . is watching my kids play and interact together. 

A few plans for the rest of the week . . .baking, party planning, errand running, and enjoying the weekend with my family - and if I just get lots of extra time, then I'll start working on some new dresses I've been wanting to make for the girls!