Monday, January 27, 2014

How Bailey came to be a part of our family...

I swore I would never get another dog. They are a TON of work and I already have three little ones to take care of. So I bet you are wonder how "never" turned into now. I am kind of wondering the same thing myself. I think I am certifiably cRaZy!  

So here is how Bailey came to be a Moore. So as you may all know, Aubrey and Addi are obsessed with dogs, like OBSESSED, obsessed. Addi turns into a whole new child when she is around them. She is happy and giggly and so sweet. Aubrey never wants to leave there sides, like NOT EVER. So the more I saw them around dogs, the more I knew we would end up getting one. So I resigned to that fact and thought about how Aubrey would be going to school soon and would miss out on spending a lot of time with our dog and in a few years I may be going back to work and bringing a new dog into our house at that point would be very hard since puppies need lots of attention. Greg was VERY reluctant, but we talked about it for a loooooong time and we finally agreed to do it.

So how has it been going?

Well ummm, it's pretty much as I expected. Exhausting. He is getting better, but man I swear to you puppies are harder than babies. Puppies don't wear diapers, it's kind of like trying to potty training a newborn. I am seriously thinking about taking him to training classes, which I guess really is just training me, to then train him. At least Bailey is super sweet and cuddly, and he doesn't mind one bit that the kids smoother him at all times (so that's a plus, right?).

I am glad we got the puppy now, because it will pay off in the long run and the girls are really enjoying every second with him (it's hard to even get Aubrey to leave the house because she doesn't want to part with him). So yep, now we are even in our house. Three females and three males. AND now we are DONE. No more babies and no more pets. EVER. :)




Tuesday, January 7, 2014

New Year.

We are one week into the new year, and I am just now getting around to writing a "NEW YEAR" post. I guess I should be reflecting on the past year or making grand resolutions that I will most likely never stick with. I'm more so just going to talk about my kids (as usual) and share what I chose as my new year "resolution".

So if you hadn't noticed. My blogging skills have gone by the wayside this year, so bare with me. Having three kids has definitely left me with less energy to think straight. So forming sentences is quite the task these days. So this post may take me a while to write, especially since right now I am drawing a complete BLANK on what to even write. Hmmm...

Let's start with Aubrey:


Aubrey has grown so much this year. Her creative side has really blossomed. (Ummm, did I just use the word blossomed. Woah! How old am I?) She started school in September (or was it August?), which made this Mama a wreck. It went so seamlessly that I felt like a fool for stressing endlessly over it. She LOVES her teacher and usually (with the exception of this morning) is dying to go to school. Lately though she has been going through this phase or funk, of not wanting to leave the house. Most days I can't even bribe her to leave, and on the days I can it's only if we are going to the pet store. Needless to say we have been to the pet store a TON lately.

Aubrey is so sweet, funny, and bossy (my Mom likes to call her Miss Bossy-pants). Aubrey likes to think of herself as the third parent, which sometimes is AMAZING, like when she stops Addi and Greyson from doing things they shouldn't be. Other times it's challenging, because she thinks she should get to do everything an adult gets to or thinks she's in charge of me and Greg. We definitely have some battles. I do love though that she is by no means a follower and she will fight to the death for what she wants. Aubrey is so independent, and I used to stress about her not interacting with friends but this year she has kept her independence, and also played so well with others and become very close with friends.

Greg and I are sometime shocked at the intricate logic she uses, and even more shocked at how mature she is (she's an old soul). We say it all the time, that she is more mature than we are, but she is just as silly as we are too (okay, maybe just as silly as I am). When I was younger my parents always called me Goosen, because I was a "silly goose". Aubrey has definitely followed in my footstep, she is as silly as the day is long. I love every second of it, because silly and crazy is the best way to be in my book!

On to Addi:

I've said it once and I'll say it again, Addi is a spitfire. She has never ending energy and never stays still. Even if you strap her in her car seat, her legs are swinging away (kind of like she's running in midair). She is still having a lot of speech issues, but hopefully now that she has had her surgery we can get her on track (if we can get her to sit still long enough to learn anything).

Addi is our little monkey, she climbs and swings from anything she can. She climbed up my body and on top of my head today to try to reach a bar above me. She thought she would just use me as a ladder so she could swing some. She goes to gymnastics, but can't stay focused on what the teachers want her to. She's off by herself, swinging from bars and jumping in foam pits. Crazy girl!

She moved to a big girl bed this year, and we have a destroyed room to prove it. Walls were colored, holes were made, blinds were broken... I mean it looks pretty darn classy (sarcasm, just in case you didn't catch that). When she first colored some on the wall, I ran out to pick out options for paint colors. I figured we would just have an accent wall. Then a week went by and we hadn't yet ordered the paint, and she colored on another wall. So I thought, okay TWO accent walls. Then she drew on the rest. Yep, we aren't painting her walls anytime soon, she'll just destroy them again. So before you going thinking I am an idiot (or whatever a nicer word is for that) who let her child go to bed with crayons let me just tell you, we couldn't figure out what she was drawing on her walls with. We looked ALL over her room, no crayons. Then we caught her in the act. She was using that back of a Melissa & Doug cake server. Yeah, it wasn't even a crayon. She is crafty I tell ya. This little girl definitely keeps us on our toes.

This year Addi has become the BEST hugger ever! She is little, but man can that girl squeeze! I just love her hugs. Addi is so sweet and caring. When Aubrey is upset she runs over and gives her big hugs, Aubrey of course stiff arms her, but it's so sweet to see Addi so concerned for others.

Addi  is our fighter, and proved it yet again this year. We have gone to maybe 50 appointments this year, that maybe an exaggeration, but probably not. She has been a trooper through them all, and through her third surgery as well. She is truly an inspiration to me, I wish I could take things in stride like she does.

Last but not least, Greyson:
 He is a Mama's boy and I LOVE IT! He is always laughing, about everything (he gets that from me). If he's doing something he's not supposed to, he's laughing. If he falls over and smacks his face on the ground, he's laughing. If you are telling him what to do, he's laughing. I swear this kid cries less than I do. It's a little weird, but AWESOME!

Greyson loves his sisters, and wants to be doing whatever they are, and that includes talking. He is a chatty boy, he loves to learn new words. He isn't much of a mover, I mean he gets around but he looks like a drunk little man the whole time, falling every which way (laughing of course the WHOLE time).

Greyson is always watching everyone, he never misses anything. He is social as can be, and hams it up for new people (unless he's tired). He has such a sweet soul, and I just can't get enough cuddles in. He eats like there is no tomorrow, I am pretty sure he eats more than I do. He just never stops and he will eat anything you are willing to give him, and he's got the adorable chunk to show for it.

He is our slow motion climber, he isn't agile, but somehow he is stealthy (which is surprising for being such a drunk little walker) and gets up on things. Train tables, chairs, couches, trampolines, beds, etc... He loves to climb. He also loves to turn lights on and off. The second he wakes up in the morning his arm is out and reaching for all the light switches, he is ready to turn all the lights on to start our day, and then off again at nap time.

 He reminds me so much of Aubrey when she was little, lets hope he isn't bossy, not sure how that'd work having two bossy kiddos. Greyson and Aubrey are inseparable. They are always playing so sweetly together (Addi is usually running circles around them). It is so amazing to watch them interact, it warms my heart beyond belief. Greyson seriously has completed our family, he is one amazing little boy and his sweet and fun personality just makes each day a better one.

I am so blessed to have the amazing family that I have, I sometimes lay in bed just thinking about each of the kids and am just amazed at how much I love them and so thankful that they are mine. I don't really do "resolutions" but this year I just came up with things I wanted to work on. I want to really focus on enjoying every moment with my kids, and trying to have more patience with them. It can be overwhelming at times having three so close in age, and I can definitely handle different situations better and that's really what I am going to work on. Taking a deep breath and choosing my actions/words wisely. I love my kids more than anything and I want to be the best me I can be, for them. Happy new year, everyone! Hope everyone has a happy and healthy year ahead!

The Moore's 2013

Friday, January 3, 2014

New go-to Recipe! Adding it to my list!

At the end of last week I had not made it to the store, and really didn't want to have to have Greg grab food on the way home. So I looked up quick last minute marinades and found this website. I didn't want something that had a ton of ingredients since it would have to just be stuff that I had on hand. Well I went with the "Salad Days Chicken Marinade". So simple, plus I had Italian dressing and green onions on hand! I have always marinated veggies in Italian dressing but never really thought that it would taste that great on its on, on chicken. I have done many marinades that had Italian dressing mixed in that were amazing. So I thought what the heck, maybe the green onions would make it yummy.

So I got all my ingredients:

"Salad Days Chicken Marinade

Okay, if you’re really time-pressed, skip the scallions. This marinade still yields succulent, tasty chicken.
Combine:
1 cup of your favorite store-bought vinaigrette-style dressing
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Freshly ground pepper to taste"


Then I picked my method of cooking:
"Rainy Day Marinated Pan-Fried Chicken with Quick Reduction Sauce. Don’t let soggy weather ruin your dinner plans. If it’s too rainy to grill, pan fry chicken instead. Marinate chicken for 10 minutes, see directions above. In a skillet heat one tablespoon oil over medium-high flame. Remove chicken from marinade and brown chicken pieces in skillet. Cover skillet, reduce flame and pan fry chicken, turning pieces and adjusting flame as needed. You may need to add a tablespoon of marinade to the pan if chicken starts to dry or burn. When chicken is cooked through, remove cover and pour remaining marinade over chicken pieces. Simmer chicken, spooning sauce over chicken pieces until marinade is slightly reduced. Serve immediately."

So I thought what the heck, maybe the green onions would make it yummy. It was AMAZING. I loved that it uses the rest of the marinade as a sauce, since I love my food saucy! I will probably be reducing my marinades a lot more often, even if I do marinate it over night.

I don't know why but I have never cooked my chicken on med-high. I was always scared to go higher than medium, I know that is probably crazy. I was always afraid of burning my chicken. Cooking it on med-high ensured the chicken browned nicely and even browned the sauce a little bit, which added flavor. Once I tasted it I knew I just HAD to add some artichokes, they went perfectly with it. I then served it over angel hair and drizzled the extra sauce on top. It was delish!!! I didn't even taste like Italian dressing. Greg kept asking what was in it because he was surprised that I threw it together with what little we had on hand. I have already made it again this week. I added a little lemon juice this time, just because I love lemon and citrus. I think I might even make it again next week and add mushrooms and top it with goat cheese (you had to know that was coming hahaha). That is what I love about this marinade so simple and versatile. So yep, add this to my list of go-to recipes.

Will update with pics next week when I make it!