Sprinkler Park Fun!

We are in for a short heat wave this weekend. Today hit 90 and we should experience the same tomorrow and Sunday. My sister and mom had the day off so we headed to the sprinkler park with all the girls. I think they had fun. Maybe we'll pay another visit later this summer!

 

Photo Fridays 06.29.12

Sitting up...

 

Photo Fridays 06.22.12

Jonathan took this picture of Sarah on Sunday. I love it!

What's Cooking: Pretzel Chicken

Pretzel chicken? Yes! I was browsing on Pinterest and saw that someone had pinned this. The chicken looked so crispy and the honey dijon sauce sounded really good.

Modifications/Substitutions: I didn't end up deep frying the chicken. Instead I pounded out my chicken a bit and then pan fried it instead. Also, I didn't have dry mustard so I used a bit of regular mustard in the egg mixture.

Ease: I wouldn't say this is the easiest recipe to execute with three little ones. Really, though, the most time-consuming part was prepping the pretzels and the eggs to coat the chicken. I'll give this recipe 3.5 stars for ease.

Affordability: I had most of the ingredients on hand to begin with, so this ended up being very affordable - 4.5 stars.

Taste: I really liked it, especially with the dipping sauce. And, I have to say, the leftovers were even better shredded and made into a chicken salad! I'll go with 4.5 stars for taste.

Family-Friendly: I find that when I pound out my chicken a bit it comes out more tender. Abigail finished her chicken, but Sarah didn't really go for hers. So, I'll go with 3 stars.

What's Cooking Rating: 4 stars (rounded up to the nearest 0.25)

Fun with Bridget

This past week our niece Bridget turned two years old. We celebrated her birthday on Sunday. The girls were so excited. Once again, I made the mistake of telling Abigail about Bridget's birthday a few weeks before the actual event. Each morning she would ask me, "What day is today?" I'd tell her Monday, Tuesday, etc. Then she would ask me, "Is today Bridget's birthday?"

Well, it finally arrived. Bridget's Minnie Mouse birthday was a blast!

 

 

 

My brother James and his wife Dawn gave Bridget a bubble machine. The girls had a lot of fun trying that out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Bridget! You are growing up so fast!

Father's Day!

We had a great Father's Day weekend. It started on Friday where we got to spend all day with Jonathan who was given a day off from work. We went to a local pond for a photo shoot with our friend Krista. The girls had fun throwing rocks in the pond and picking flowers. The girls had a lot of fun and cooperated for the most part. I am very much looking forward to seeing how the pictures turned out!

Saturday was pretty low-key, which is always a good thing!

On Sunday morning we had a special breakfast and gave Jonathan his gift. The big hit was a set of cards we made where I traced the girls hands and measured their arm-span. The front of the cards said, "I love you" and when Jonathan opened the cards they expanded and said "this much!" I even managed to make one for Lily.

After breakfast we went to church. Then we headed to Nonna and Papa's house to celebrate Bridget's birthday. All in all it was a great weekend!

I don't say it often enough, but our girls are blessed to have such a wonderful dad. Jonathan gets up in the middle of the night to help when Lily (and sometimes Sarah or Abigail) wakes up. He'll play along with the girls when they give him birthday gifts in June consisting of things already belonging to him when his birthday is in September. He sits down with the girls to read them bedtime stories. And he always encourages the girls and lets them know he loves them.

Thank you, Jonathan, for being such a great dad and for seeking out to be the best husband, dad, and leader God intends you to be.

Photo Fridays 06.15.12

Notice something missing in this picture? We've had these awesome photos on display for about two years now. Since then we've added to our family and, well, the girls are a whole lot bigger now! So, this morning we're headed to a local pond to do a photo shoot with our good friend, Krista. I'm looking forward to updating our pictures and adding one of Lily!

Also, check out Krista's blog post to see her work from two years ago!