St. Patrick's Day and more

We went to Burger Bar some night during the past few weeks.  There's a little stage area for bands and Kinley loved running around on it.  She was also obsessed with the elephant statue that they have out front.

Good thing they weren't too busy - we were "those parents" who let their kid run around so they could eat.  :)

Enjoying a little Sonic run a few weekend ago.

  She loves helping me in the kitchen and thought she was pretty big stuff in these oven mitts.  I thought she looked like our little lobster, ha!

 

Another random week night - Kinley trying to give (or take) Tiki's bone.

St. Patrick's Day weekend actually turned out to be an extended 4 day weekend since Kinley caught a tummy bug Sunday night. It was really nice to have 4 days off in a row without any real plans!  We started Friday out with a visit to Target and snagged some super cute swimsuits!

I tried one of them on Kinley to make sure it wasn't too small and she loved playing in it.  She even thought it was worth taking a few "selfies" on Scott's phone, ha!

This made me SO excited for summer!

We had a play date with Emily & Mackenzie on Saturday.  Goofy girl coloring before we left and showing off her St. Patty's Day shirt - "I'm all the luck you need."

She decided to take a head dive into the corner of our brick wall which resulted in a nasty cut in her hairline.  It's not the first or last cut but I feel bad every time she gets hurt!

We finally made it to Emily's house after someone decided to fall asleep on the way there and enjoy her morning nap in the car.

It's so much fun to watch her interact with kids her age!  She always takes a little time to warm up but they were sharing toys and running around with the dogs in no time!

We went to Gallina's for pizza to celebrate a friend's birthday on Saturday night.  The kids loved playing with the jukebox but unfortunately Kinley is still way too short to reach so she needed a little boost.

 

We were up bright and early on St. Patrick's Day to make green pancakes, yum!  We hung around the house most of the day, nothing too exciting to report.

 

And then it hit...Kinley was super fussy when we put her to bed Sunday night but I didn't think much of it until Scott came in telling me that she had thrown up around 1am.  Poor baby.  I sat up with her until 4:30am when she finally quit getting sick.  Thank the lord for my phone that let me Facebook, blog, and play on Pinterest for a few hours while she dozed off.  After getting a few hours of sleep I decided to take a sick day to have some extra cuddle time with my sickly baby.

She kept wanting to eat my ice so I thought that it was necessary to make a Sonic run to introduce her to the best ice in the world!  Large cup of ice?  Don't mind if we do!

Later we had a popsicle because they make everything better!

Luckily, she was feeling better that night so it was back to the grind on Tuesday.

Favorite Pinterest Recipes: Appetizers & Sweet Stuff

When I posted that we were crazy at work a few weeks ago, I was totally mistaken.  This week has been terribly busy so I have nothing fun to report.  Instead, enjoy another Pinterest post and hopefully I can get caught up this weekend!

This might be my favorite food post because I love potluck parties with lots of snacks rather than one main dish.  I'm sure I've made more appetizers than this from Pinterest but I only had these 2 pinned.
 

Buffalo Chicken Bites
I made these one night when Matt, Julie & Clayton came over and they were a hit!  I think they would have stayed together better if I shredded the chicken more but they still tasted great.  They were definitely messy to make but well worth it.

From Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Crab Rangoon Dip
I think I made this the same night and it was just "eh" to me.  Give me some real crab rangoons and we'll be in business but this would work in a pinch.

From Reckless Abandon Cook

Of course I've pinned a ton of desserts because of my sweet tooth and these did not disappoint!
 

Butterfinger Cake
This is a typical poke-and-pour cake and it was SO good.  It got rave reviews at work and it's so easy.

From Plain Chicken

 

Apple Snickers Trifle
I made this for another work party and although it took some time, it was well worth it.  I thought it tasted like a caramel apple with chocolate drizzled on top so it would be perfect for fall!  (And it looks pretty, too).

From Desserted Planet

 

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dip
I just made this for the Super Bowl party this year and everyone loved it.  It came together really quick so I'll definitely keep this in my back pocket for other parties.

From Shugary Sweets
 

Baked Smores
I made this over a year ago and remember that it was kind of a pain to make.  Rolling out the dough and pressing it on top of the marshmallow proved difficult but they were good when they were done.  My only complaint is that the marshmallow smelled like it was burning if I reheated them in the microwave.

From The Apron Gal

Most of my Pinterest recipes have been a hit, do you have any to share?!
 

Favorite Pinterest Recipes: Breakfast

I caught the Pinterest bug over a year ago and have been pinning ever since.  After looking over my boards, I realized that I pin way more food than anything else, but I have also tried more of those pins than any other.  I think I've completed 1 or 2 craft projects & maybe wore one outfit that was "pinspired."

I'm always looking for new recipes so I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorites that I've tried.  (I can hardly keep up with my other regular posts so this might be a work in progress).

I will warn you all that there is maybe 1 or 2 healthy recipes out of all that I plan to post.  I'm pregnant - that's reason enough, right?  So if you're looking for a splurge meal, you've come to the right place!

Crockpot breakfast casserole
This was super easy & we had a great breakfast right when we woke up!  The only downside was that I was afraid it was going to burn so I didn't sleep well that night.  Go figure!

From A Latte with Ott, A

Puffins
I think I just blogged these a few weeks ago.  Kinley has been a great helper lately so she loved making these!  We added turkey sausage, chocolate chips, & blueberries.  Beware that there is a lot of syrup in the batter so they aren't exactly healthy but they are really good!

From Lady With the Red Rocker

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
I made these last fall when I wanted to try every pumpkin recipe that I could get my hands on!  I was actually pretty impressed with myself because they came out really well - that doesn't always happen with "made from scratch."  Bonus:  there's no yeast so they don't take very long to make!

From Bakeaholic Mama

Blueberry Breakfast Grilled Cheese
This seemed like such a "duh, why didn't I think of that" recipe that we had to try it.  I don't have a sandwich maker so we just made it on the stove like a regular grilled cheese.  SO GOOD.

From Fit From Conception

Sausage Biscuit & Gravy Casserole
My dad made sausage gravy with biscuits all the time growing up so it's always been a favorite of mine.  Obviously, when I came across this recipe I had to try it and it did taste just like the real thing!

From Learning to Trust

Have you pinned any breakfast "winners" lately?

January 1-6 in Pictures

I love these simple posts.  I can let the pictures speak for themselves and don't have to write much.  I think they capture our everyday life so perfectly.  Some are posed but many are just every day moments that I don't want to forget.

 

Playing with poker dice/chips on the first day of 2013.

 

Kinley discovered that she loved eating handfuls of buffalo chicken dip (and it was spicy)!

Celebrating New Years day (1/1/13).

I was back at work this day so Scott & Kinley had a fun day.  I was jealous that Kinley got to work from home in her pj's. 

The booty in the air sleeping position will never get old.

Scott gave Kinley her first bathtub mohawk one night.  Her hair is finally growing so I want to attempt a "Pebbles ponytail" sometime!

We still rear face Kinley in the car but decided to turn her around on the way back from Rock Island so she could watch a movie as a special treat.  This did not end well.  She just needed a nap but wouldn't give in so we had lots of fussing on the way home.

That weekend, I got to attend a bridal fair with my brother & fiance'.  I love doing stuff like this & was so happy that they asked me to tag along!  A local radio DJ was interviewing them in this pic, so fun!

  We love bathtime at the Tucker house!  Everyone always says that Kinley looks like Scott, I think I see it here.  What do you think?

Early October

One morning we played peak-a-boo in our cozy coupe...

 and stayed in our pj's (think they're a little long!?)   We went to Ava's 1st birthday party and loved playing on the slide...

  and pushing the stroller.

Modeling her new sweater, skinny jeans, and boots before the party:

My Uncle Mike (Ava's grandpa) brought a pony to the party!!  I thought he actually bought her one because he always said that she would have one. The little girls weren't sure what to think about it but Kinley did pet the pony and let me sit her on it for a few seconds without any tears!   I'm guessing this is another Saturday morning PJ pic and she just looked too sweet napping.

My sis-in-law Sue posted the cutest/sweetest picture on instagram so I had to make a copy of it to keep:

And finally, I actually took pictures of the Pinterest recipes that I made that week.  First up was Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.  I was proud that I made them from scratch - rolled them and everything!  I gave myself a B+, they were pretty good.

Later that week I made an Apple Snickers Trifle for snack day at work.  It was SO good and tasted just like a caramel apple! And this reminds me that I want to do a post about all the Pinterest recipes that I've tried.  The one thing I don't like about Pinterest is that there isn't a "done it" button.  Everyone posts all this cool stuff but you never know if it's good or not.  Luckily, I've had a lot of success with the ones I tried!

Kinley's 1st Birthday Party!

We celebrated Kinley's 1st birthday on Saturday the 15th (the weekend before her real birthday).  I had been planning it for the last couple months but nothing major, just writing down ideas and not accomplishing much.  I'm sure you can guess that I was scrambling all week leading up to the party to finish all of projects on my list and finalize other details. 

 

I think her "cute as a button" party turned out pretty cute!

 

The birthday girl cooperated that morning and took a good nap.  She woke up to discover balloons which she loved!  She still loves playing with them at our house and saying "boo" or some combination of ballooon.

And now, enjoy the picture overload:

Dessert table - cupcakes, smash cake, chocolate dipped pretzel rods & oreos

 

Food table!  I opted for heavy appetizers since it was a mid-afternoon party and it worked out great.

 

The guests & gifts are starting to arrive...

 

I made the banner that says "Happy Birthday Kinley" and framed her invitation that I loved.

 

Wall of "birthdays" - monthly pictures, but I dropped the ball on the 12 month picture and didn't have time to develop it.

 

Drink station outside - I'm a sucker for mason jars & paper straws!

 

Blair & Maxon were SO excited to play with Kinley but she looks less than thrilled. :)

 

Quick family photo!

 

Me and my sweet pea

 

Kinley & GG chowing down.

 

I like to get candids so we can remember all the people that celebrated with us!

I'm sure there was a very important football game on the tv...

Snacking and socializing

some of the outside crew...

 

After eating we decided to do cake just in case the birthday girl was ready for a nap soon.  All of us thought that Kinley would dissolve into tears the second that everyone started singing to her -  she's not one for attention or big crowds.

BUT she surprised us!  She didn't mind us singing and then tried to grab her candle, ha!

 

She was a dainty eater and didn't want to get messy at all - darn it!

She would periodically wave at her crowd like a little movie star, it was too funny!  (maybe she does like attention...)

Still picking away...

I tried to get her messy but she just wasn't having it!

I think she made a good little dent in the cake - success!

 

Then we moved onto presents which I was a little worried about, too.  I figured that she would find one that she liked and not want to open anymore.  Boy, was I wrong!

 

She started tearing into the tissue paper and was genuinely interested in what was in every bag.  (My parents got her the white rocker which she loved).

 

Some of the toys got her really excited!  Look at the smile!

 

She really liked the activity cube from aunt Coco.

 

Mommy helping her dig into more gifts...

 

She had to stop and read all of her books...

reading out loud - she's advanced.  ;)

 

Thanks, everyone!  I had her dress made to match her invitation and I'm so happy with how it turned out!

 

This might just be my favorite picture ever, this sweetheart melts my heart!

 

Just hanging out with some of her buddies, Mackenzie & Clayton.

 

Kenz was reading to Kinley.

 

Then we all hung out and enjoyed the gorgeous afternoon!

 

Kinley & Delaney playing on the old rocking horse.

 

Birthday girl playing in her mound of tissue paper!

I still can't believe how well she behaved!  She enjoyed everything from the food, to cake, to the gifts and smiled the whole time!  She was exhausted at the end but still didn't go to bed until the evening - sugar high??

 

Kinley, we love you to the moon and back and are so proud of the sweet and sassy little girl that you are.  Your fun personality grows every week and I'm so excited to see what the next year of your life has in store!