It's Been 3 Months...

Well, it's been 3 months (really, 3.5 months) since I became a mother of two. I can easily admit that the last 3 months have been extremely challenging. And - all along - I had incredibly supportive family and friends telling me, "It'll get easier"! It was just hard for to believe that when I was having such a hard time. Anyway, things have been a little easier lately, and I'm starting to have hope that I may be able to swing this without a major breakdown anytime in the near future. Maybe it's that Cole's medicine seems to be working. Maybe it's that I'm trying really hard to relax about having a rigid schedule. Maybe it's that I don't have any surgeries scheduled in the near future. Maybe it's that Sydney actually told me in mid-bite of her chicken nugget today, "Mommy, I need to pee." and then actually peed on the potty. Maybe it's a combination of everything, but things do seem to be getting better. I even took both the kids to Target earlier this week - by myself - and no one cried. Not even mommy!

Happy Birthday Papa!

This weekend we celebrated Papa's birthday! He finally turned 45, so we really pulled out all the stops. We had a great pool party and barbecue followed by banana caramel cupcakes with caramel cream cheese frosting. He received a bunch of nice gifts including plenty of books, a Barnes and Noble gift card, and a snazzy pair of flip flops! He's all set for a beach vacation: books and flip flops... what else do you need? Happy Birthday Papa!

"I Want to Ride the Camel!"

When I became a mom, I never expected to hear my child say, "Mommy, I want to ride the camel." But, that's exactly what Sydney said a couple weeks ago when we visited the Loudoun County Fair!

Loudoun County has a large farming community, and our fair is very agricultural in nature. There are livestock barns with pig, cow, chicken, rabbit, goat, and sheep exhibits. 4H is a big part of the fair, and they even have competitions for the largest fruits and vegetables. Then, there is usually a pet-a-pet show where kids can learn about animals and feed and pet them. We were checking out the pet-a-pet show, when Syd saw the camels. Then, she noticed that other, older children were taking rides on the camels. She immediately said, "Mommy, I want to ride the camel." I asked her if she was sure, and she said yes. So - I went ahead and got in line. I figured we'd get up to the front of the line, and she'd probably chicken out. The sun was really hot, so I parked the stroller under some shade (right next to the camels), and mom took stroller duty with the kids. While I was waiting in line, the trainer and the camel came over to the shade where Mom and Syd were standing. Mom pointed out that the trainer was giving the camel animal crackers as a treat - just like Syd gets animal crackers for her treat. The trainer gave Syd an animal cracker to feed the camel, but Syd just popped it in her mouth and enjoyed! Oh well.

Anyway, I was still waiting in line. There were two little sisters ahead of me that appeared to be the same age as Syd. When it was their turn, they got on the camel, then decided it was a bad idea and got off. Then, it was Syd's turn. I figured, here we go! She got on, and away she went! She rode the camel like a champ! I got plenty of pictures, but as always, Syd takes her fun very seriously, and there aren't any where she's actually smiling. However, I can assure you she had a blast. For a couple weeks now, she's told anyone who would listen that she rode a camel.

Are You Kidding Me?

I took Cole for his allergy appointment last week. Poor baby had to get a scratch test to determine his allergies. He was tested for everything from milk to wheat to soy to cats. He only came back allergic to one thing... PEANUTS! I could not believe it. I asked the nurse, "Are you freakin kidding me?"

Peanuts?!? How is that even possible? We don't have any nut allergies in either family! We hardly have any food allergies at all! Needless to say, we're still reeling from the news. Part of me is in denial. We're still waiting for the blood test results to confirm his peanut allergy. I think there's a part of me that's sure the blood test is going to come back negative. Tom's demanding a do-over. Oye!

It's the BIG One!

Mom is forever calling us to warn us of impending thunderstorms. She calls it Mom's Weather Service. Lately, Mom's Weather Service has been a little slack. She totally slept through the earthquake (although she wrote a blog post for me after the fact), called me a couple times with false warnings, and either called too late or not at all for some other storms. Needless to say, we've been a little disappointed with the service we've received. Anyway, Mom's Weather Service came through for us this past weekend. We were all hanging out at the pool, when she announced that the BIG one was coming. We quickly packed away all the pool toys and cushions. We took down the EZ-Up, and everyone headed home. Within minutes, it was raining, and the wind was unbelievable. We ended up losing two shutters, and an enormous tree branch fell in the back yard! The worst part was losing electricity for more than 24 hours! We have a generator, but it is not big enough to run the air conditioning. Thankfully, Mom's Weather Service also offered us temporary shelter during our day without AC. After her warning of the big one, we are happy to renew our subscription to her alerts!

Coconut Shrimp

Deeeeeelicious!

Shrimp:
28 large shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1/3 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups flaked sweetened coconut
Cooking spray

Pineapple Salsa:
1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup pineapple preserves
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare shrimp, peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact. Rinse shrimp in cold water; drain on paper towels until dry. (I just defrosted frozen shrimp that were already peeled and deveined.)

Combine cornstarch, salt, and red pepper in a shallow dish; stir with a whisk. Place the egg whites in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until frothy (about 2 minutes). Place coconut in a shallow dish.

Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge in cornstarch mixture. Dip in egg white; dredge in coconut, pressing gently with fingers. Place shrimp on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with remaining shrimp, cornstarch mixture, egg white, and coconut. Lightly coat shrimp with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until shrimp are done, turning after 10 minutes.

To prepare salsa, combine pineapple and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; stir to combine.

Lemon Herb Chicken

2 T Olive oil
2 T Lemon juice
2 T Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 t Thyme
1 t Salt
1/4 t Pepper
1 t Lemon peel, grated
Chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients in a plastic bag. Marinate chicken for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Bake in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.