16 months old

Nicknames: Kyra Bug, Bug, Bunny, Fluffy Butt, Butterfly, princess

Clothing Size:  All 18 months now

Personality:  You have started being your own person! So independent and smart. You love to sort and think about things.

Things I Could Do Without:  being ignored when I talk to you.

Item/Toy We Love The Most: Wreck it Ralph!! Still your favorite movie, and nothing calms you down quicker than slipping that in when you are tired or cranky.

Item/Toy You Love The Most:  Anything horse related, my little ponies etc.

Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: Playing games and singing with you, you love to sing the songs now! Your energy and watching you try to,play with your cousins.

Things You’re Loving Most Right Now:  Running around outside! You love summer time, and green grass.

Heaven has a new angel

I guess we have reached the age where we will start to lose people who are very important to us in our lives. We don't want it to happen and when it does it hurts, but the best thing you can do is to remember them, and all the good times you had with them.

For my loosing my first grandparent has been really hard. She was so so so much a person I look up to. Both of my grandparents have been married for over 50 years and seem so happy together!! I want Dustin and I to be like that. They are still so desperately in love with each other. What wonderful people to look up to.

As I was digging up and emailing my sister pictures of my grandmother with me, and my family. I really only wish that I hadn't lived so far away from home for the past 5 years. It kills me not being able to see my family, grandparents grow older, and so do my nephews. I can't wait for our time in Germany to be over so we can join the family again.

Slightly disappointed in the amount of pictures I have of me and my grandmother, I got to thinking about all the times we spent together. Maybe our lack of pictures is due to the time we spent just talking. I remember even taking pictures in her wedding gown for her 50th anniversary :D and how excited she was that I had always dreamed to have my wedding in her back yard!! I remember all spring her talking about planting all the flowers, and making grandpa take extra good care of the yard!

She may have passed but she is gonna be my guardian angel forever and at least now she won't have to suffer and count pills, and whatever else. And I bet her and Aunt Sandy are just having a great time talking about all the things that have been happening including grandbabies and great grandbabies!!

Fun with friends

Yesterday was a great day for Kyra and Mommy!! We had started the day with only the plan to go grocery shopping and than come home and sit around the house, with a side of swimming pool time! Well not too long after that we were invited to go to a petting zoo here in town.

After being told it was free, we jumped right on the offer and boy am I glad we did!! This zoo was very neat. Unlike a lot of zoos you see in the States the animals were all spread out over a large amount of land where they lived in their own habitats and were free to do as they please. It makes for a lot of walking and often you don't see the animals as they are hiding but regardless it was a great experience for the kids.

Not only can you see them doing there thing they also sell alfalfa pellets for just a euro and you can walk around and feed the animals and have deer, and goats, and sheep all eat out of your hands. Having 3 girls 1-2 years old this was the PERFECT outing!! They just loved feeding the animals and would all start giggling every time one would take food from them.

Here are some of the best pictures from the day!

Bear snorkeling on a hot day

the girls feeding the reindeer

Snack break!

They are kinda best friends!!

I think Kyra's favorites were the sheep

Hanging out with the bear!!

After being really hot all day from hiking and sweating our butts off, it was time to come home and swim!! After a brief nap in the car ride home!

Bed time for our toddler

'I originally started this blog post with the intention of writing about how great my daughter is about bed time. I intend to write how we taught her to do so well with going to bed, what our routine was etc. But I also decided to use this post to document our adventure of moving her from her crib to a toddler bed which has been a very tiring journey. But now we have finally reached a point where she is asleep most the night in her bed!!! But not without a few.....nights of barely any sleep at all.

Our pre toddler bed nightly routine:

Each night we began the slow down of the day around 630 when we all sat down to eat dinner together, generally it was a very quiet and interactive time, we just enjoyed each others company. After dinner I read Kyra a book or two while Dustin got the bath ready. Than it was daddy time as they played during her bath. After bath we all 3 would go into her room, and dry her off and get her into pajamas she would help us turn off the lamp, and than we would lay her down and 9 times out of 10 she would lay down and go to sleep and sleep the entire night. The warm bath and calm time before bed allowed her to distinguish it was bed time. She was on this routine from about 2 months on and did GREAT with it. Even when we would travel as long as we stuck to the routine she slept so well.

Than she started trying to climb out in the morning and in the process getting her leg stuck between the rails. This was very traumatic for both of us and I knew the only way to change the problem was to move her to the toddler bed. So I went out and bought a really cute little pink bed. For the first 5 days I had it set up in the living room, so she could get used to seeing it around. She would climb up on it and hang out with Shade all the time.

Than stage two was moving it into her room I left it in there basically as decoration for 3 days before ever laying her in it. Than thought one night she was ready for it since she was so tired.

Day 1: So here I was so confident that since she was signing tired before bath time she was gonna go to sleep after maybe 1 or 2 attempts of getting back up. BOY WAS I WRONG. I laid her down and after 2 rounds of screaming and laying her back down she passed out...On the floor behind the door. I let her sleep there for an hour than slowly made my way in thinking I would be able to move her to the bed while she was still asleep, NOPE. She woke up and it all started over. But this time no matter what I did, going back in and silently laying her down, laying with her, sitting silently, and than a couple more rounds of putting her back in bed nothing was working. She was exhausted but still screaming at the top of her lungs 3 hours after we started. So I gave up and put her in her crib. Although she continued to scream for like 10 mins because she was so wound up she did manage to pass out in the crib....so night one was a fail.

Day 2: I decided this day that I was going to make her crib into a toddler bed thinking maybe the familiarity of the bed would help her sleep. During the transition of the bed she was super excited and kept climbing up to play with her toys. At bed time she was really tired after taking a longer bath than usual, we did pajamas and turned off the light together and laid her down, she was initially upset, but I shut the door she cried for about 2 mins than it was silent. Having learned my lesson the night before I just let her sleep where ever she fell asleep. Hoping she would find the bed more comfortable! She slept for about 40 mins on the floor by the door before waking up, probably because she was uncomfortable!! I went in brought her water, hugged her moved her cuddlies back to the bed and layed her down she had a but of a whine about it for a couple seconds but went back to sleep!! She just looked so cute laying in the bed!! She did wake up a couple more times during the night but I just went in and calmly gave her some water and laid her back down and she went back to sleep in her big girl bed!!!

Day 3:  after a fairly successful night, it was the day time, and with no choice of the crib, the real challenge was gonna be how she was going to do at nap time! But it was no different she loved the big girl bed, and the freedom it gives her. This night was the one I knew we were not going to have anymore issues. Although she woke up one time which was fairly normal even in the crib, otherwise she slept the whole night!! And has ever since! 

I am super proud of her for transitioning into the toddler bed!! Even though the first couple days were hard on both us, it went well after shegotused to it! And when she does wake up she goes back to sleep really quickly as we get some nice cuddles, some water, and go right back to sleep!! It has been so nice having her be in the toddler bed. Although I am a little disappointed with having bought another toddler bed she won't use, I will just have to resale it!! 

THANK YOU READERS!!!

So for those of you who have been avid followers of my blog I owe you soooo much for where I am now a days!! I do apologize that there hasn't been a new blog in well over a week or two, and for that I am very sorry. School has been keeping me very busy but only 2.5 weeks left and I'll be done for a while.

That being said sometime in the last week while I was absent my blog reached a very exciting milestone!!!

Back in March on my birthday I had excitedly written about how my blog had finally reached 3333 views in the 3-4 years I have had it up and I was in awe that so many wonderful people were viewing my blog!!

Well in the last week only 4 months later I have more than double the number of views I am now topping out around 6800 views!! I just can't believe the amount of support I am seeing!! I will eternally be grateful to see that so many people in this world enjoy visiting my blog each day!! I mean just this week I saw over 150 views and I haven't even posted anything new, its WONDERFUL!!!

I have a lot of blog topics planned out to be written about including ALOT of pictures for the 52 week challenge to get caught up on. So stay tuned, and I will try to bring you more exciting tales from our adventures in life!!

Thanks thanks thanks!!! I would be nothing without you!!!

And just cuz I think every blog post deserves a picture here is a cute one of Kyra and her best friend from the 4th of July aren't they just DOLLS!!!

Project 52: Reading

I thought this picture was just perfect for the reading topic as this is how I have spent many a night!! I am generally a huge fan of reading. But when it becomes a requirement and is text books, than I become a little bored with it Hence why I was taking picture of how nice my highlighter looks in the book rather than reading the book.


For complete list of all pictures from my Project 52 follow this link to Resolutions which has links to all of my project 52 blogs.

What I have been reading

 I know I love reading books my friends highly recommend. So in the spirit of reading. For I hope you share the love of books that I do. Here are 5 books I have recently read, a brief intro to what they are about with out saying too much, and how I felt about them!!

I am the Messenger.  This book was about a young man who is receiving playing cards just the aces. On each card is a list of names, addresses, or clues. He has to do something for each person on the list...But how he goes about doing it is up to him. This book was often intense and made you think about what was going to happen next, and had a very different story line than I even thought it would. It was a very easy read and a fun one!! I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an interesting new book to read.

Agenda 21 This is quite possible one of the few books that I would say DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT COVER. Because if you know anything about politics you can see that first name on this book and go running, because your probably thinking great a book by a person with strong political values, no thanks. BUT if you were to do that you are very much missing out on a good book, this book is NOT written by Glenn Beck, I repeat NOT written by Glenn Beck. It is written by Harriet Parke. There is a little thing in the back of the book that he wrote, but it is after the story. This story was sooo well written. One of those books where I stayed up all night reading it, it was so hard to put down. You just crave knowing what is gonna happen next. I can't really tell you much about what its about without giving away the story but if you want an intense on the edge of your seat book, this is one for you!
 

The Vow. I am sure a large amount of you have seen this movie. If for no reason but to watch the adorable Channing Tatum. But of course as most cases are, the book was about 10x better than the movie. The movie got the point across but the book told you all the details of this true story. It was a very sad sad book, I did cry a few times, but it was such a sweet love story.

Sister to Sister Trilogy-Virgina Smith. This trilogy was one I picked up because the first book was free on Amazon, and when you need something new to read that is a go! But after starting to read the first book I fell in love with the characters. It reminded me so much of my life, and my siblings. These books are written so personally that you begin to think you live with them or are their neighbors at least. Great stories that follow 3 sisters through 3 different challenges we all face and how they got through them. Forewarning, there is a religious undertone so if that isn't your thing you may not like these books.

 

The Book Thief. One of my favorite books I have read in sometime. I may have had such a major interest in this book due to the fact it is about WWII here in Germany. I find these things interesting living here in the place all of the action was happening. I love historical things and learning more about them. But this book was about white Germans living through the war, and holocaust. Very detailed but also a good story. Hard to say too much, but this book is a must read.

Yummy Pinterest finds!!!

So as one of my goals for the rest of the year was to try some new recipes...Well its only the 1st of July and I have already found 2 recipes that I wanted to put on my blog because they are THAT GOOD!  And really pretty healthy!! I didn't remember to take a picture of the first recipe as the girls and I were super excited to eat it!!

Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas in Creamy Avocado Sauce

Chicken and avocado enchiladas in a creamy and spicy avocado sauce.

Servings: makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup salsa verde
• 1/2 cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
• 2 avocados
• 1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped (remove seeds for less heat)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 handful cilantro
• 1/2 lime, juice
• 4 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 2 avocados, diced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 8 (7 inch) tortillas

Directions

1. Puree the chicken broth, salsa verde, sour cream, avocados, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper, cilantro and lime juice in a blender or food processor.
2. Mix the half of the sauce with the chicken, avocado, green onions and half of the cheese.
3. Coat the bottom of a large baking dish with some of the sauce, wrap the chicken and avocado mixture in the tortillas and place them in the dish.
4. Top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese and bake in a preheated 350F oven until the cheese has melted and the sides are bubbling, about 15-20 minutes.

 Found at www.closetcooking.com 

Comments: The amount of time it took to prep was longer than 10 mins, that is very inaccurate as it does involve a lot of cutting. But it was so worth it. I did a double recipe and put 1 whole Jalapeno, and one with the seeds out and it was like the perfect amount of spicy!! I made 8 for the 4 of us, and 2 kids. And we all only had one each, the avocado and chicken is very filling.

The other recipe was something I made for Kyra and I for dinner tonight. It was amazing, and very simple to make!! If you saw the pictures of both recipes you would laugh I guess I was feeling green, both are very green meals. I was also lucky that a good friend of mine brought me fresh lettuce from her garden!!!

Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese (Updated Version)

Ingredients:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T Basil Pesto with Lemon or your favorite commercial pesto
2 T low-fat sour cream
2 T grated mozzarella cheese
(I used heaping tablespoons of pesto, sour cream and cheese)
2 eggs, beaten (or if they're large eggs one will probably be enough)
3 T finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 T almond flour (or almond meal, but almond flour is better for this because it's more finely ground)
black pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a small casserole dish with non-stick spray. Trim any visible fat from chicken breasts, then put them one at a time inside a heavy plastic bag and pound with meat mallet until the chicken is as thin as you can get it. Don't worry too much about the shape or whether there are some loose pieces, you can tuck them in when you roll up the chicken.

In a small bowl mix together the basil pesto, sour cream, and grated mozzarella. Use a rubber scraper to spread a thin layer of this mixture over each chicken breast, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edge of the chicken (so it doesn't run out so much as it cooks.) Roll up the chicken breasts and secure them with a couple of toothpicks. (I roll them so the finished piece is as thin as I can get it so they will cook quickly.)

Prepare two bowls, one with the beaten egg and the other with the grated Parmesan-almond flour mixture, seasoned with black pepper to taste. Dip each chicken breast roll first into the egg mixture and then into the Parmesan-almond flour mixture, patting it on so the chicken breast roll is well-coated with the mixture.

Put chicken breasts into the casserole dish and bake until the chicken is firm and lightly browned. (Start checking after about 25-30 minutes; total baking time will be 30-35 minutes.) Serve hot.

Comments: I made the pesto with the pesto packet from the seasoning section at the grocery store, mixed with sour cream and water until it was all mixed in and smooth! Than I added a handful of the cheese. It worked out well, and Im saving the left over sauce for a toasted turkey wrap later this week.