Summer veggie pasta salad and the FIRST EVER bump picture of baby boy W.

Thanks to a couple of neighbors we've had plenty of summer squash and zucchini to eat lately. We like to grill it on kebabs or slice it thin and roast it with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan. We've also been making this pasta salad that is super yummy. This one has roasted yellow squash, zucchini and asparagus, and grilled red bell peppers. We tossed it with whole grain rotini, a little olive oil and vinegar dressing and some parmesan cheese. It's good warm or at room temp.

A couple days ago it occurred to me that there is not one (NOT ONE!) picture of me (my belly) so far in this pregnancy. It made me pretty sad, considering we practically took weekly shots when I was pregnant with Lola. Sigh. I guess that's what happens when you spend your time chasing a toddler and working like a mad woman. (Not to mention I haven't been really eager to throw myself in front of a camera lately.) So, I took this one myself. Dear baby boy Wade... I promise we'll (try to) be better about documenting this part of our journey for the next few months. Just four more to go... whaaaaaaat?!

Willpower

What's that?

Being pregnant is just a darn good excuse for your willpower to head to the beach for a few months and not come back until several months after you have the baby. I have had some pregnancy cravings, but I think I mostly eat weird stuff because I can. Take chips, for example. I LOVE chips. Nothing goes better with a sandwich and a diet coke for lunch than a bag of chips. Barbecue, plain, salt and vinegar. I don't care! Give me crunchy, salty goodness, please. When I'm not pregnant I don't eat chips very often - and we never have them at home. It's one of those little habits I quit several years ago. But these days it's hard for me to talk myself out of eating them. Oh well, right?

My latest craving is for the 3-cheese quiche from Galloway Tea Room in Springfield. Unfortunately the tea room closed several years ago. This means I am on the hunt for the perfect recipe. Any suggestions?

A little update

Hubby says the blog is getting stale again. Hey, if I could sit around and blog all day, I'd gladly do it. But alas, someone has to work and keep the house from falling down around us. :)

We've been busy.

Last weekend we hosted the annual spearfishing tournament at Pontiac. Lola got to "help" with the weigh-in. She was fascinated by the fish and wanted to touch them constantly.

On Sunday (Father's Day) we spent the morning together. I made blueberry pancakes. Then Matt and Lola went to the lake for a swim while I went to work for a little while.

Matt picked peaches at a neighbor's house, and I whipped up a little blueberry-peach crumble.

This week I went to the Mountain Home Berry Farm and picked up five gallons of blueberries and a gallon of blackberries. I had never been there, and it was such a neat place. I chatted with the owners for a little while. I hope to take Lola back next year and do a little picking ourselves.

And last but not least... yesterday we made a trip to Springfield for my doctor's appointment and the big revealing ultrasound. We found out Lola is going to have a baby brother! Oh boy, oh boy! Time to start thinking about paint colors again... "Ughhh," says Matt.

We're on a boat!

Finally!

You'd think because we live at the lake we'd get out and enjoy it all the time. Well, not so much. Especially not this year with everything we have going on. We finally found time to go out yesterday afternoon, and it was so fun and relaxing. It was the first time the three of us had been out all year. (We did boat up to another marina for lunch with Matt's mom and grandma on Mother's Day weekend, but we didn't actually swim or enjoy the water, so that doesn't count.) We cruised. We swam. Matt and Lola even went tubing! It was the perfect ending to another super busy weekend.

Nine years

Happy anniversary, MDW.

Sign me up for nine more years.

And nine more... and nine more... and nine more...

Love,

JMW

Sneak peek

This morning I snatched all the guest books out of the rooms at Lake Harbour Resort, so I could read what our guests had to say about their stay. Below is what I found. The last one almost made me cry. (I might be a little emotional these days.)

"We had a beautiful weekend on the lake... The accommodations here are perfect. We felt like we were in a cottage at the seashore. We'll be back!"

"Beautiful weekend. Wonderful accommodations!"

"We had a blast while we were here. We will definitely be back!"

"We loved our vacation at Pontiac Cove!! Lake Harbour Resort is very NICE! It was wonderful that everything is provided and we didn't have to 'pack the kitchen sink.'"

"We really enjoyed our stay here! It really works out great being so close to the marina. We will be coming back again!"

(This one was actually much longer, but I didn't retype the whole thing...)
"Good morning! It is our last day here at Lake Harbour Resort, and it has been a near perfect mini vacation. My husband and I live in Kansas City, and when my parents told us they had booked the top three rooms of this resort for Memorial Day weekend I was ecstatic. I grew up coming to this lake every summer, but around 8th grade all the cousins, aunts and uncles took up new hobbies and sports that didn't allow for our schedules to match up... Here we are 11 years later... Before I fill this journal... I will leave you with our morning plan: The kids and my sister and her husband left early this morning. My parents are out kayaking, and I am here writing while grandma cleans her room. My husband is packing up the cars. We will eat a nice breakfast at Just Jackie's and then hit the road, back to real life. Hopefully it won't be another 11 years."

Remembering

One year ago today was a hard day. I still can't read my post from that day without crying.

We miss you, Honey Bee.

Love,

Mom, Dad, Lola and Oscar

21 months

Trying on Mama's accessories

Anytime we mention birthdays, Lola says, "Cupcake!" This past weekend we missed cousins Chaney and Keaton's joint birthday party in St. Louis because we couldn't get away from work. I said something to Lola on Saturday about it being the birthday party day, and she said, "Cupcake!" So I thought since Sunday was Lola's 21-month "birthday"... we'd make cupcakes. We now have less than three months to plan Lola's second birthday party. Let the fun begin!

It's here! It's here!

The June issue of 417 Magazine is out, and the BIG cover story I worked on during the month of March is in it. Click here to check it out! (Can you tell I'm a little proud? It's been a looooong time since I've written anything this big.) I also have a travel feature on Belize coming out soon... I was told June or July, and it isn't in this one, so it must be coming out in July. Stay tuned!