iPhone Pics Update

Ganging up on daddy.

My sweet boy.

Griffin LOVES books!

Reading Bible stories with my guy.

Started doing 30 Day Shred again last week.  It was ugly.

Griffin's first snow in the U.S.!

Fun at the Science Museum.

Making memories in the country.

Kinley was actually pretty scared of the tractor.

My First Blog Award!

Here are the three rules:

1. thank the person(s) who gave this award to you.
2. list 7 things that people may not know about you.
3. pass it on to 15 other bloggers. (I passed it on to 12)

Thank you to Dana for this fun award!  Dana is waiting (very patiently if you ask me) to bring her cutie, Oliver, home from South Korea.  And here's a fun fact:  Oliver's foster mom is Griffin's foster mom!  How cool is that?!

Ok, now the tough part....seven things you may not know about me.

1. I'm a certified scuba diver.  Actually, I don't know if I'm still certified because I became certified 12 years ago and I don't know if those things expire.

2. My ear lobes are attached.  People make fun of me all the time (shocking since I'm not in HIGH SCHOOL anymore!) so I don't want to talk about it.

3. I love photography and I'm learning more and more all the time.  My goal is to take beautiful pictures of our every day life.  I also really, really want a new lens.  :)

4. When I was a kid I wanted to be a marine biologist.  Yes, I've always lived in land locked Oklahoma.  We can blame Sea World for this one.

5. I always always always need a blanket if I'm on the couch.  Whether I'm lying down or just sitting, I much prefer to have a blanket on me.  It's a security thing.  And I'm cold natured.

6. I don't like to swim in the ocean.  Now, this may make #1 confusing and maybe even #4, but I really hate when things touch me and I can't see what it is.  Like seaweed or tiny, harmless fish or sharks.  All of those are equally creepy.

7. I was Little Miss Firecracker 1986.  Nuff said.

Alrighty!  There ya go!  Now I get to nominate some bloggy friends.

1. Rachel

2. Tracey

3. Leah

4. Christie

5. Dizzy

6. Brittany

7. Becca

8. Cindy

9. Sarah

10. Melissa

11. Amber

12. Kelly 

Oh, How I Love.....

My crock pot! I'm a happy girl when my crock pot has something in it. It means a no fuss dinner and easy clean up for Blake. :) And I love smelling the yumminess all afternoon and love it even more when Blake walks in and says, "Mmmmm. Something smells good!"

My favorite crock pot recipe right now are these delicious Taco Chicken Bowls. Oh my goodness! This recipe is heavenly, and if you love Mexican food you will totally agree.

{I know the word 'heavenly' is usually used when describing desserts, but I love Mexican food how most people love sweets. It's my thang.}

And to make this even better....this is the easiest recipe ever. Here it is.

1.5 lbs chicken breast (I used less but that's just a personal preference)

1 (16oz) jar of salsa

1 (15oz) can of black beans, drained

1/2 lb (8oz) frozen corn

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 Tbsp cumin

1/2 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt

pepper to taste

2 cups dry rice

8 oz shredded cheese

fresh cilantro

Dump everything except the rice, cheese and cilantro in your crock pot and stir. Add 1/4 cup of water and make sure chicken is covered. Cook for 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

Near the end of cooking time, cook the rice. When chicken mixture is done, shred chicken with a couple forks. The chicken should be super tender so this will be easy.

In a bowl, layer rice then chicken mixture then cheese and fresh cilantro. You could also add sour cream or anything else you want on top. I mix mine up and chow down!

Enjoy!

Tickle Spot

iPhone Pics From This Week

Best buds!

I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm nuts!

He's so sweet when he sleeps.  :)

PLEEEEEASE!!!

No.

Super Girl

I'm so proud of my super girl.  More than ever before!  After resisting and resisting and resisting potty training, Kinley finally decided being a big girl isn't so bad and she hasn't had an accident in 2 1/2 days.

I know we're not done with the hard work, but I know it has clicked with her.  She totally gets it and is enjoying her new 'skill'.  And getting candy every time she goes isn't too bad either.

She even did #2 today!  Yay, Kinley!!!

The big test will be with pull-ups at school on Thursday.  I think she'll do great, but we shall see.

New Year - Old Resolution

Even though everyone knows that resolutions are historically really hard to keep, I still love them.  I think I love them so much because they typically come at the beginning of the year, and being the OCD weirdo that I am, I like to start at the beginning. 

This year my big resolution is to get healthy, fit, and lose 15 lbs.  I know, I know.  This is everyone's resolution, but I'm pretty sure all of us could probably benefit from losing a little weight.  You know what I'm saying?! :) Anyway, last year at this time I set out to lose some weight and I did.  Five lbs before we went to Korea and five lbs in Korea.  When I came home from Korea I felt great!  I was down 10 lbs and probably only had 3-5 more that I wanted to lose. 

And then reality set in and Griffin made me very much aware of what my new schedule was.  The kid didn't sleep the first  three months home, day or night.  Before he came home I always worked out while Kinley took her two hour (or longer) nap.  Being up all night with Griffin made me exhausted during the day, and even if I had the energy to work out I couldn't because Griffin took two 20 minute naps per day.  And most of all, with a newly adopted child at home I just couldn't justify taking time for myself. 

So, what did I do to get through the difficult transition that comes with adding a new child to the mix?  I ate, of course!  I wasn't cooking much, so Blake would pick something up on his way home from work.  Made life easy and FAT!  I've gained 11 lbs since Griffin came home almost 8 months ago.  Blah.

So, my plan is to get back on the treadmill and starting doing Jillian Michael's 30 day shred again.  Cut the junk food and start eating more fruits and veggies and chicken.  Drink LOTS of water.  And let myself have one Whatever-I-Want-Meal per week.  There's gotta be balance, right?

I'm going to be journaling my weight loss and lifestyle change happenings here on my blog.  Accountability is huge for me so I think this blog will be a good way to keep myself in check.

I have some other resolutions for the new year like being more patient with my kids and husband, trying new things with my kids, and saving saving saving so we can entertain the idea of a third kiddo.  All of my resolutions are things I should work on all the time, not just when a new year rolls around.  I know this and I'm working on it.

Look what I bought yesterday! New running shoes!  Yay!

And on sale!

They are the ASICS Gel - Nerve 33 women's running shoes and I really like them so far.

I've decided that for every three pounds I lose, I get to reward myself with some new workout gear.  I usually workout in Blake's old mesh shorts and an old softball t-shirt, so new workout gear is major motivation for me!

What are your resolutions for 2012???