Memorial Day Weekend: Sunday

We headed back over to my Grandparents' so Jonathan could work more on the landscaping and so we could visit with Nonna, Papa, Auntie Laura, Uncle Nick, and Bridget some more.

Nonna and Auntie Laura came home after we arrived and they had a nice surprise for the three girls: matching swimsuits and a fun inflatable pool. Abigail could not wait to get out and try it.

The water was pretty chilly (they never stayed in the pool for more than a minute or so at a time), but the girls had a blast anyway.
And, once again, Uncle Nick grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. This time we had s'mores for dessert (Sarah's first time).

Memorial Day Weekend: Saturday

The past few weeks have been dreary and wet. It seems that in New England we go straight from winter into summer-there isn't really a spring. This weekend was perfect for spending outside, which is what we did.

Jonathan headed to my Grandparents' house early to do much-needed landscaping work. I stayed back with the girls in the hopes that at least Sarah would take an afternoon nap (we anticipated a late night and wanted the girls to be at their best). Well, both Sarah AND Abigail napped!

After naptime we headed to my Grandparents' house. Soon after we arrived the girls were outside enjoying the beautiful weather.

After playing for a bit Uncle Nick cooked burgers and hot dogs on the grill. We had a great outdoor feast!

After a bath and a little more hangout time, we headed home. It was a great start to the long-weekend!

15 Down, 25 to Go

I haven't had much to say about Baby #3 since our announcement. There really hasn't been a whole lot to say. Things with this pregnancy have been very similar to my previous ones. I haven't been terribly sick, which is good. Things have actually been pretty boring. My main "symptoms" (I hate using that word, but can't think of another one) are nausea, fatigue, and irritability (though, those last two could have a lot to do with having two kids ;-).

At the 15 week mark babies average the size of an apple (four inches long crown to rump, and about 2 1/2 ounces). There are times when I think I've felt a flutter or two, but for the most part the baby is keeping quiet.

In about a month we'll have our anatomy ultrasound. I'm hoping the baby cooperates so we can see if we are having a boy or a girl. Part of me wants a boy, but the practical side of me wants a girl. I would be happy with both, of course.

So, that's our little update. When more happens I'll have more to say :-)

What's Cooking: Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf

I'm cheating again. I tried this recipe a while back, and Jonathan and I liked it a lot. I really don't remember how Abigail did with it (Sarah was too young). So, I thought I'd try it again.

I love AllRecipes.com. I get to save recipes I've tried, and I've found some really good ones (like these Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies). I also really appreciate the feedback other users give.

Here's how our night with Incredibly Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf went.

Substitutions/Modifications: I used shredded cheddar cheese instead of cubed colby cheese. Also, as some users suggested, I added a small minced onion. Others also recommended premixing the bread crumbs and milk before adding to the meatloaf mixture.

Ease: This recipe is very easy. Measure, mix, and bake sums it up nicely. This will get 5 stars for ease.


Affordability: This is pretty affordable. Most of the ingredients are regular pantry items and the ground turkey was pretty reasonable. I'll give this recipe 4 stars.

Taste: This is a pretty tasty meatloaf. Not quite like my mom makes it, but pretty good. I'll give this recipe 4 stars.

Family-Friendly: So, Abigail tried her meatloaf ON HER OWN. Towards the end of the meal I had to encourage her a bit, but she finished her meatloaf! Sarah avoided hers, until Jonathan fed her a piece. Then she ate about half of her piece! Success! This recipe will get 4.75 stars (only because Sarah didn't finish hers).

What's Cooking Rating: 4.5 stars (rounded to the nearest 0.25)

Abigail's First Haircut

It seems funny to talk about Abigail's first hair cut since she is so "old". The truth is, it has taken quite some time for her lovely locks to grow. Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we?

Here she is on her first birthday.

And again at around 18 months.

I remember how excited I was when I was finally able to get some of her hair up in pig-tails.

Lately I've been noticing her hair getting a bit unruly. We decided that finally it was time to take her to get her hair cut. She really seemed to like it and did a great job. After we left the salon she told me she wanted to get her hair cut again!

BeforeAfter

Photo Fridays 05.20.11

Abigail finally got around to wearing her flower girl dress-the first time since my brother's wedding. I thought it would be fun to dig out the flower girl dress she wore for my sister's wedding so Sarah could try it on for size. They loved playing dress-up.


The other day when Abigail was dressing up she started acting out a part of one of her favorite movies, Cinderella:

Holding the skirt part of her dress in her hands, "It's a beautiful dress. Have you ever seen such a beautiful dress?"

Now sticking one of her feet out from under the skirt part, "And look, glass slippers."

"It's like a dream." Followed by twirling and saying, "A wonderful dream come true."

I was really surprised to see her do this, I didn't realize she had memorized parts of the movie. It was really cute to see!

Midwest Vacation: Days 8-11

Saturday was the big day, Uncle James' graduation. We were sure to arrive early to get parking and spent a good deal of time walking around and waiting. The girls were pretty good during the ceremony, though they didn't spend it sitting down. Actually, Abigail wanted to be as far back as she could, for some reason she was a bit scared of the whole thing.

Unfortunately I don't have any good pictures from graduation day (at least no pictures having to do with graduation).On Sunday we let the girls dictate our wake-up and head-out times. We left Mishawaka and headed east to Northern Virginia. We wanted to break our long trip home up into two shorter ones, and thought it would be nice to visit Grandma and Papa Kapaldo's house. Anyway, we were on the road on Sunday for a good 11 hours.

We stayed in Northern Virginia on Monday. The girls spent most of the sunny and warm day running around in the back yard. Abigail kept asking Dad, Papa, and Uncle James to play with her. She tossed the frisbee and kicked around a soccer ball. The highlight for the girls though, was getting a ride in Papa's wheel barrow.

Sarah heading for the wheel barrow that was just put away.Daddy explaining it was time to do something else.

Finally, on Tuesday we headed back home. It was a long trek, but we made it!

I went ahead and tried to estimate just how long we were in the car and maybe how far we traveled. I can safely say we spent at least 50 hours on the road and traveled more than 2,700 miles over our 11 day vacation. Phew! But we had a great time!

Midwest Vacation: Day 7

Today wasn't really full of activities, but it did involve a good deal of driving (a little over 6 hours all-together). We headed east toward Detroit to visit with Great Grandma and Grandpa Dyer, and Grandma Kapaldo who was also visiting for a bit. This was the first time both girls met their great-grandparents.

We had a nice lunch and visit before heading back to Mishawaka. The girls ate and went to bed.

Midwest Vacation: Day 6

Today was another full day of sight-seeing. Great Grandma, Grandpa, and Papa Kapaldo came our way to show us around and see things as well. We started off by visiting The University of Notre Dame's campus. This is where Uncle James will be going to in the fall for Grad school.

Even though we did a great deal of walking I don't think we even scratched the surface-it is such a big and beautiful campus! We did spend a good amount of time near Notre Dame's most notable building, The Main Building, and it's neighbor, The Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

After a quick lunch we drove from South Bend to Shipshewana (The Heart of Indiana Amish Country). We saw a few horse-drawn carriages and later spent a good amount of time looking at different shops.

After being tourists all day we went to Great Uncle Wade's house for a visit. The girls loved running around the yard but spent most of their time interacting with the dogs (who were thankfully behind a fence (and, no, I wasn't worried anoint the girls, I was worried about the dogs ;-)).

It was getting pretty late when we left for dinner. The girls napped on the way to The Olive Garden, where they each had a little meltdown. Thankfully things got better once the food started to arrive.

The girls went down soon after we got to the hotel. It didn't take me much longer. I was beat too!

Midwest Vacation: Day 5

Today we ventured out to Illinois to visit with Great Grandma and Grandpa Kapaldo. We also visited with Aunt Pat and Uncle Whitie (and their dog, Princess, who the girls loved).

We spent the whole day with Great Grandma, Grandpa and Papa Kapaldo. We first drove into Chicago to get a quick look at Uncle James' campus. The girls enjoyed getting a chance to run around for a bit.

Then we drove further into the city and got to see the Buckingham Fountain. The girls really enjoyed going all over the place here. And did we have a time trying to get them to turn around and say "cheese"!

Before heading out of the city we took a ride on Lake Shore Drive. It provided a really nice view of the city and the waterfront.

Then we rounded out our visit with fantastic pizza at Aurelio's in Homewood, Illinois.

I was hoping the girls would fall asleep during our 90 minute drive back to Indiana, and thankfully they did. We ended up driving through really nasty thunderstorms with a mix of hail. We were blessed to have the girls easily transfer from the van to bed. They were beat after a long fun-filled day!