Spring break!

So, we don't technically get a "spring break," but we took (a short) one anyway. A couple weeks ago, cousins Megan, Patrick, Chaney and Keaton came down to spend a couple days at the lake. Then the four of us (adults) dropped the kids off with the grandparents on Friday and headed south to Hot Springs, Ark. for the weekend. Matt and I hadn't been in five or six years. It was so much fun - I hope we can make it an annual trip! We stayed at the Arlington, which is really handy because it's within walking distance to all kinds of downtown restaurants, bars, bathhouses and shops. No hot baths this time, but we did average more than 9,000 steps (strides?) on Saturday at the horse races - according to Patrick's pedometer. (Ha!) There were 10 races, and Matt and I bet on every one. He won on quite a few races - I won three or four in a row, got a little cocky (not really) and then proceeded to lose most of the rest of them. Matt pretty much broke even. I did not. We had a blast.

Waiting for a race to start. Are those the faces of winners, or what?

Here we are cashing in some winning tickets with our "lucky lady." Don't know her name, but we both placed our first bets with her, and since we're superstitious, we had to place ALL of our bets with her. Too bad she wasn't more of a lucky charm...

If that weekend was fun and carefree, this past weekend was, well, the opposite. Both kids have been battling colds, coughs, fevers... and Finn is cutting teeth like crazy. Neither felt well on Saturday, so we didn't do much besides stay inside and try to get well. 

Finn and I spent the day together on Friday. (This was before they both started feeling pretty crummy.) It was nice, so we spent some time outside.

He's really enjoying the playhouse this year, now that he's old enough to climb the ladder, go flying down the slide, swing on the swings... such a big boy, he is.

Matt has been wanting to take Lola white bass fishing. There was really nothing being caught this weekend, but we ran down there for a bit anyway - between naps and fevers - to let her get a line wet.

And finally, we have been on a homemade-pizza-making kick lately. We seem to throw these together on nights when we really don't have anything else planned. The crust recipe is a "quick and easy" one: 1 package dry yeast, 1 teaspoon white sugar, 1 cup warm water, 2 1/2 cups flour (I usually do half white/half wheat), 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Preheat oven to 450. Dissolve yeast and sugar in water, let stand for about 10 minutes. Stir in flour, salt and oil until smooth dough forms. Let rest for 5 minutes. Turn dough out on a floured surface and work into about a 12-inch round. Cover with toppings and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly. We had to scrounge for toppings when we made this one, and it turned out to be one of our best yet. We used mozzarella and sauteed strips of red onions, red, orange and yellow peppers. Simple. But really good!

15/16/17 Months

Finn had his 15-month checkup a couple weeks ago (he was actually already 16 months at the time, and now he's quickly approaching 17 months. Gah! Time flies.) Here are his stats:

Height: 32.5 inches (75th percentile)

Weight: 24 lbs, 7 oz (50th percentile)

He tries so hard to communicate! But he doesn't say very many words yet. A lot of grunting, groaning, yelling, babbling, laughing... He says milk (sounds like "meh"), cracker, dada, Lola (sounds like "ya-ya"), mama (he doesn't say this very often, which is puzzling to his mama), nanny (for "nanny Linda" - sounds like "nan"), bird, Gigi (sounds like "ga-ga"), and a few other random things. He is a busy, busy boy. So playful, loving, sweet, ornery, snuggly and oh, so funny. He makes us laugh every day! Just a sweet, sweet boy right there. :)

Tiny dancers

Not sure how much they're learning (retaining)... but they're having fun.

Can't wait for the recital. That should be a hoot.

(Regan, left, Lola, right)

Black Bean & Quinoa Enchilada Bake

I also want to share a great new recipe we tried last week. I found it on pinterest, and the link to the blog, where it was originally posted, is at the bottom. Naturally, Matt was skeptical because a.) this doesn't have meat; and b.) this doesn't have meat. But he was willing to give it a try. And guess what: He loved it. Seriously. I'm not just saying that. His exact words were: "You can make that anytime."

Black Bean & Quinoa Enchilada Bake

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed,diced
1 red pepper, seeds removed, diced
1 orange pepper, seeds removed, diced
1 cup frozen corn kernels
juice of 1 small lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups red enchilada sauce, prepared
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese - or however much you want
optional toppings: sliced green onions, avocado slices, sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.

2. Add quinoa and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork, and keep covered until ready to add to dish.

3. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeño. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and corn. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add the lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cilantro. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Turn heat off on your skillet, and stir in the quinoa and black beans. Pour in enchilada sauce and about 1/2 cup of cheese.

5.Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until edges are bubbly, then turn the broiler on for a few minutes to brown your cheese a bit. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm. Garnish with toppings, if desired.

MY NOTES: Since this was a trial run, I cut the recipe in half and used an 8-inch square baking dish instead of a 9x13. I didn't have a fresh jalapeno, but we did have some in a jar, so I chopped up a spoonful of those. I also didn't have lime juice, so I squeezed in a little lemon juice instead. I didn't have cilantro and didn't miss it. If I have some next time I'll throw it in. I also didn't mix the cheese in, but just sprinkled it on top before baking. I topped mine with avocado. We ate it with tortilla chips, but you can also just spoon it up and eat it straight out of the bowl. We ate every bit of it except one little spoonful. Even Finn liked it. (Lola was at Pop and Gigi's the night we made this, so she missed out.) I will definitely be making this again, and next time I'll make the full recipe, so we can have more leftovers. The author says it also freezes well.

Find the original recipe and some beautiful, colorful photos of the dish here.

It gets easier

Today was sort of a milestone for our little family of four. Matt went to work, so I loaded up both kids and headed to Mountain Home for story time at the library, lunch and grocery shopping. And it was fun. No fits or tantrums. No major malfunctions. Just a sincerely fun outing. This might not sound like a big deal, but it is. It really is. Finn has never gone with us to story time. And he's a very... busy boy right now. In other words, he is walking (running) everywhere and is in to everything, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to contain him while stories were being read and crafts were being crafted. Eeeek. It was a new place with lots of new faces, so he clung to me in the beginning. But once he warmed up, he wanted to walk around and see what everyone was up to. But he was good. And Lola was great. She was such a helper to me and a good big sister to Finn. She watched over him and held his hand to lead him to a spot on the floor to sit and listen. Story time lasted about 45 minutes, and after that Lola wanted to stay and read books. We read a couple, but Finn was pretty fidgety, so we went upstairs to the Blackbird Cafe for lunch. There was only one problem: They don't have high chairs. Crap. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep FH in a chair or on my lap for the duration of lunch - and the place was packed - so we got our stuff to go. They shared a "monkey's uncle" smoothie - peanut butter, bananas, milk and apple juice (it was soooo good) - while we waited for my sandwich to go. From there we went to the first grocery store - both kids rode in the cart and were well-behaved. We had to take a potty break for Lola in the middle of shopping. (And while I was helping her, Finn got down on all fours... ON THE BATHROOM FLOOR. Arghhhh! Oh, the joys of pottying in public places.) They were both getting tired, but they hung in there with me for another grocery store stop. Whew. As we were leaving MH, I realized... we have crossed over. You know, that line you can't actually see and have no idea exists when you're still in the "first year" with two? That line. I think we've crossed it. At least I'm crossing my fingers that we have. Hey, parents still in your first year with two (or mamas currently pregnant with #2 and scared sh*tless about how you're going to pull it off): You can do it. The first year is gonna be hard. Reeeeaaally challenging at times. But the line is there. And I promise you will cross it. You won't see it or realize when it's happening. But one day you'll realize you're on the other side of it. You won't really know how you got there, but who cares. You made it. You survived the first year (or first 16 months, for us). The fog will lift, and you'll breathe in some of the freshest air you've ever tasted. I'm not saying it's gonna be smooth sailing from then on. Nope. But it will be a little easier. It gets easier. Remember that.