Good bye to a GREAT year and hello to a new year!

2008........This by far was the best year of my life. It was filled with love, laughter, dreams realized, growing bonds, and best of all......a new life. It was such an amazing year that I will forever cherish. I gave birth to my wonderful son, who is my love and my heart. He has brought Andrew and I so much joy and love in our life. Andrew also proposed to me in May. I was so happy and surprised when he popped the question. We are so excited to be married and share our love with our friends and family. We are so happy together as a family. I really feel that whatever comes our way, tough or easy, that we will make it through because we have each other. 2009 has already promised to be another year full of so many more adventures.

Great things that happened in 2008:

• I gave birth (naturally with no interventions) to my beautiful son
• The love of my life proposed to me on my first mother's day and 27th birthday
• Andrew's brother, Daniel, got married
• We had a fun filled summer with Ayden
• Mitch Cook (my best friend's brother) got married to Kelly
• I got to watch Ayden grow
• I grew closer to some wonderful friends
• I removed some negative situations out of my life
• Obama was elected!!!!!
• Melanie and Mike got engaged!!!!
• Did I mention Ayden?!

Things I am hopeful for in 2009:

• The beginning of the end of the war
• A new president that will change things
• The economy turning around
• Weight loss and more YOGA!!!
• Wedding planning to be easy and stress-free
• Andrew's photography business to launch
• More peace in the world and in my life

My New Year Goals:

• To lose 10 pounds.
• To stay organized with wedding planning and in life.
• To start a house buying fund.
• To practice stress management techniques (more YOGA).
• To keep our house peaceful and full of love.
• To spend all the time in the world teaching Ayden all about the beauties of the world.
• To designate "study" time for me and Andrew.

Happy New Year everyone! Wishing you and yours the best of 2009. May 2009 fill your hearts with all sorts of love and peace.

Menu Plan Monday (a little late)

Well....it's back to normal life again.  Holidays are almost over and school will be starting next week so we need to get back into a routine this week.  We had a great Christmas and enjoyed our family and friends in Tualatin.  Ayden was of course spoiled by his loved ones in Tualatin. He got so many presents.  But that is okay because it was his 1st Christmas and he needed some new toys.  Thank you everyone for all the gifts.  We love ALL of them!  

One of my new year goals is to lose at least 15 pounds for the wedding and to get into better eating habits.  So we are going to start making some healthier dinners.  I love the eatingwell.com website and I will be using a lot of recipes from there.  I will also just modify a lot of recipes with less butter, oil, etc.  I hope you enjoy this week's menu.  Have a fun and safe New Years!  If you are interested in more weekly menus go to orgjunkie.com. 

Monday- Shrimp stir fry

Tuesday-  Potato, leek, and broccoli soup with some yummy warm bread

Wednesday-We are having a little New Years Eve fiesta at our house with a few friends.

Appetizers- Taquitos, Chips and Salsa and Queso

   Dinner- Black Bean Burritos with spanish rice

Drinks- Beers and Champagne

Thursday-  Happy New Year!  Spaghetti Squash Casserole and a garden salad (this recipe in this link calls for ground beef, we substitute that with soy fake meat).

Friday-  Vegetable Gumbo

Saturday-  Homemade Pizza

Sunday-  Lots of Leftovers!!!!

“I gotta work out. I keep saying it all the time. I keep saying I gotta start working out. It's been about two months since I've worked out. And I just don't have the time. Which, uh … is odd. Because I have the time to go out to dinner. And, uh … and watch TV. And get a bone density test. And, uh ... try to figure out what my phone number spells in words.” – Ellen DeGeneres

Menu Plan Monday (a day late)

I missed last weeks and I am a day late to this week's menu plan. OPPS! It is such a busy time of year. Last week I had finals and was sick. Ayden then caught my cold. Babies are so sad when they are sick. I basically held and cuddled him for a week till he felt better. We are all better now!!! Then this last weekend we went to stay in a little cabin on the Metolius River with my parents. It was SO relaxing and peaceful. It snowed the whole time we were there! It definitely put me in the holiday spirit. So I am a little behind now that we are back! I am slowly getting back on track! This week will just be full of baking, shopping, and staying warm. Andrew is part Jewish and so that makes Ayden part Jewish. So in celebration of their heritage we decided to make some Hanukkah food on Thursday night. We also have some of our best friends moving to New Mexico on Sunday, so we are having a dinner for them on Saturday. We are also celebrating Winter Solstice that night. We have a lot to celebrate this week and be thankful for. I will be baking some kind of holiday/winter treat each night till Christmas! Oh....this time of year is SO fun!

For more info on menu planning go to http://www.orgjunkie.com/.

Dinners:

Monday- Dinner at The Swans house!!!

Tuesday- Spinach Lasagna, garden salad, and french bread

Wednesday- Spinach and mushroom quiche

Thursday- Hanukkah celebration- Roasted winter vegetable with cheesy polenta and Potato Latkes with horseradish-dill cream dip

Friday- Leftovers

Saturday- Winter Solstice Celebration and Good-bye Dinner for the Swans :(
Pizza, Organic winter salad, and warm drinks & treats

Sunday- Salmon, steamed broccoli & cauliflower, and whole grain wild rice


Desserts/Holiday Treats:
(Don't worry we are not eating all these treats.....a lot are going to be gifts)

Tuesday: Chocolate chip cookies

Wednesday: Princess Tea Cakes

Thursday: Sufganoit (Jelly Doughnuts, a Jewish dessert)

Friday: Chocolate fudge (my first time making)

Saturday: Apple Pie

Sunday: Peanut Butter Blossoms

"Good food ends with good talk." -Geoffery Neighor

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

My little baby is growing so fast. He amazes me everyday with new things he is doing and learning. It makes me sad but excited all at the same time. I miss him being so small and making those cute little infant noises. I miss him just laying in my arms and staring up at me like there is no-one or nothing in the world that will ever make him look elsewhere. I am excited that he is becoming his own person and learning new things everyday. I am looking forward to all the fun things we get to do together. I am excited to show him the beauty of the world. Its like I get to see things again for the first time! It is such an amazing feeling watching him grow. It happens so fast though! I wish life was just a little bit slower. Andrew and I are so lucky and grateful to have him.

Here are some updates on our little man:

• He turned 9-months old yesterday! WOW!!!
  
• He started saying "da-da" on Wednesday. He whispers it every time. It's so cute. But don't worry he started saying "ma-ma" about a month or so ago.
  
• He started waving.
  
• He started clapping on Wednesday.
  
• He is army scooting (it's like crawling but not on all fours)
  
• He can now push himself up into standing position (holding onto something)
  
• He can walk along the couch, chair, or when holding our hands. They are very little wobbly steps BUT they are still steps!
  
• He got his first two teeth in!!!
  
• He officially has long shaggy hair. Like father, like son!

Brand New

Now

"Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body."- Elizabeth Stone

101 Reasons Why I Love My Fiance!

3. He works so hard for us. He works all day, then goes to school, comes homes and helps me around the house (like put up Christmas lights on the house at 10 pm in the rain)!! He is amazing and I appreciate everything he does for me and Ayden!

Keep checking in for more reasons!

Menu Plan Monday

I can't believe it's already December!! I am so excited to for Ayden's first Christmas! I have so much planned for this month for us! I will be starting to bake cookies and other Christmas treats next week. This week will be to hard for baking because it is the last week of school (YES!!!). I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed all the good food that we are so blessed to have.

Check out www.orgjunkie.com for more Menu Plan ideas!

Monday- Burritos with spanish rice

Tuesday- Salmon salad (Andrew will not be home for dinner, so I decided to have something light)

Wednesday- Angel hair pasta with olive oil, parmesan, olives, capers, and tomatoes and a salad

Thursday- Tuna Casserole

Friday- leftovers

Saturday- Mushroom and Spinach Quiche with a green salad

Sunday- Salmon fillets, Broccoli, and Whole-Grain Rice


"In this plate of food, I see the entire universe supporting my existence" - A Zen Blessing