Happy Father's Day!

Well, Sunday was Father's Day, and we celebrated with - what else? - a pool party. Tom said he wanted to make hamburgers from scratch (we usually just make the frozen variety from Costco), so that's what he did. Per Tom's request, we also made bacon so that the burgers could be bacon cheeseburgers. Anyway, they were really, really good. He needs to be careful, I may ask that he start making burgers from scratch more often!

Sunday was *very* hot, but the pool is the perfect temperature right now. Everyone got in - even Gamma and Papa! And, I think the Fathers really enjoyed themselves. There was plenty of food and drink and a ton of doing nothing!

He Smiles!

After much anticipation, Cole has finally cracked a smile! And, I'm pretty sure it's not a smile caused by gas. I can almost get him to smile on demand now. Check out his sweet smile! He's headed to the doctor's office on Wednesday for his 8-week check up, so stay tuned for more updates.

Crock Pot Chicken Sandwiches

My friend Shannon recently made these sandwiches for us. They were spectacular, and I can't wait to make them myself!

1/2 c chicken stock
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1/2 c ketchup
Sliced onion
Black pepper
Enough chicken to feed your family- boneless skinless breasts or thighs work best

Place chicken in crock pot. Sprinkle with pepper and top with as many onion slices as desired. Combine rest of ingredients and pour over onions. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

Serve on a potato roll with a slice of cheddar cheese.

Feta-Topped Chicken

By popular demand...

1/2 c creamy Cesar dressing
2 T chopped fresh oregano
1/2 t lemon pepper seasoning
4 chicken breasts
3/4 c feta cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking dish with foil. In a small bowl, combine dressing, 1 T of oregano, and lemon pepper seasoning. Mix well. Place chicken in lined baking dish. Pour mixture over chicken. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over chicken and cook for 10 more minutes. Sprinkle with oregano before serving.

Cole is Baptized!

Yesterday, we gathered with family and friends to witness the baptism of Cole Thomas. It was a gorgeous day (maybe a wee bit humid) for a baptism and celebratory pool party! Our church's Deacon did the honors, while Mr. and Mrs. Chabot were kind enough to agree to be Cole's Godparents. The ceremony went off without a hitch. Cole didn't even cry when they poured the holy water on his head! Then, we all headed back to the house for some pool time. We had a great barbecue, and everyone got to soak up some sun and play in the pool while Cole took a well-deserved nap!

Click here for the video montage.

Sloppy Joes

Ground beef
Sweet onions
Tomato soup
3 T Brown sugar
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T Vinegar
Buns

Brown meat and onions. Drain fat. Add remaining liquid ingredients (add tomato soup until you get it the consistency you like). Serve on buns. I like to serve them on hot dog buns because they're a little less sloppy. :)

She Told Me So...

Right before Cole was born, I went to the doctor for one of my last checkups. While I was there, Dr. Park said, "Julia, now - you know that since you've had a kidney stone while you're pregnant, you're more likely to have them from now on." At the time, I said, "Really"? But - I was thinking - yeah, right. I've never had kidney stones before, this is a total fluke.

Well, she told me so. This week, I had another emergency surgery to remove another kidney stone. Plus - BONUS - when they were reviewing the CT scan, they found another stone waiting in my kidney. Then, when I went for my post-surgery follow-up appointment, the doctor found yet another stone. So - the final count so far is four kidney stones, two surgeries, two removed, two remaining. The only good news - if you can even call it that - is that because we've discovered these two stones early, I can schedule surgery at my convenience (in the next month). Wow - how wonderful.