jake + evie.

two of my very nearest and dearest friends had their first babies this last week.

jacob 'jake' taylor haas


{and}

evelyn "evie" grace reynolds


they are both beautiful and perfect in every way imaginable. i have definitely been having fun cuddling and loving on them {and their mommies} the past few days. i've determined that brady doesn't think babies are all that much fun. they either sleep or cry and he couldn't care less.

i'm fine with that for the time being.

my prayer for these sweet families is this:

"pour out your heart like water before the face of the lord. lift your hands toward him for the life of your young children."
{lamentations 2:19}

harper's birthday.

we were so looking forward harper's first birthday party last week! it was at jack carter pool in plano - which is super fun for the kiddos!! {if you live in the dfw area and have never been - it's $3 for adults and kids over 2. it has a great zero-entrance pool that is fenced in with a huge play center in the middle. brady could play for hours.} unfortunately, as soon as brady and i got there, it thundered! ugh! luckily, we avoided a meltdown... and based on how the morning had been going, i was very suprised - and very grateful. actually, i was surprised that more kids weren't upset... i certainly would have been!

craig arrived with the pizza shortly after and the kids {and preggos} chowed down. then it was time for cupcakes! {these adorable cupcakes are from target!!! can you believe it!? they did such an amazing job. and they tasted delish!} we were sad we didn't get to play long in the pool, but we had a lot of fun anyway. it felt cooler outside and we'll definitely be back for more jack carter fun soon!

sweet curls

big sister, sydney.

waiting patiently for cupcakes.

second cupcake.

summer.

my gut instict was...

right!

we confirmed yesterday that we, indeed, will be welcoming a sweet baby girl into our family in the fall. we are beyond excited. as we were walking into the doctor yesterday morning, i kept telling myself "it doesn't matter what the gender is. there are pluses and minuses either way. it doesn't matter...." and although i would have been terribly excited for brady if he were having a brother, i couldn't help but let a few tears slip as they showed us the girl parts.

the sonographer measured the heart and brain first before she could get a good look at the gender. my heart was pounding, i was so excited to find out. when she started moving the 'roller' around, i kept thinking - this is a girl i'm looking at. there's no way that is a boy. i can't explain it, i just knew it. i felt like a kid on christmas morning, seriously. as soon as they got to the 'bottom shot', we both instantly knew that we were not looking at the same thing that we saw with brady. sure enough, she confirmed that there was no doubt the baby was a girl - as we could clearly see!!

so, i will be changing gears to think pink and purple, bows and ruffles! how fun?!!? i think it hasn't truly hit me yet. i'm tremendously excited, but with a girl comes an amazing responsiblity for me that i had never realized until yesterday. i'm to be her main example of a godly wife and mom. yes, that's important for a boy to have, but i find myself reflecting on things my mom did and said - striving to be like her. i want that for my daughter. wow. i'm getting overwhelmed.... so i'm going to stop here.

be on the look out for all things pink on here in the upcoming days.

now onto the great name debate. of course we had a boy name all picked out. we have several girl names we both like, but none that we both love. none that seem like her. i can't wait for this sweet baby girl to have a name. {it's so weird to say 'her' isn't it? i've been so careful not to say her or him... and even when i did, i didn't really think gender, i just didn't want to say 'it' or 'the baby'. now i can really say her. it's so weird.} we have a middle name and a last name but no FIRST name.... which of course is the important part, huh????

love to you all.... i can't wait for you all to meet our little girl.

soccer, huh?

last week, justin invited us to a vip even that fc dallas was putting on for the soccer game. i feel like i know a lot about sports - especially for a girl - but i know nothing of soccer. nothing. the only thing i know is that it's 2 hours long - nothing more and nothing less. {at least the fc dallas games are}. anyway, we had a great time down at victory in the channel 8 'news room' eating lunch and playing with all of our new usa soccer gear!!!

18 week stats.

how far along? 18 weeks, 6 days
total weight gain/loss? -2 pounds
maternity clothes? wearing them and loving them. although i've been living in tank tops and shorts the past few days with this heat!
stretch marks? not any yet! thank goodness!
sleep? the past few nights i haven't gotten any sleep at all. i've had so much on my mind and haven't been able to shut it off no matter how hard i try or how tired i am. thankfully it hasn't affected my days too much yet.
best moment this week? exercising!!!! since i haven't been sleeping well, i'm pretty wide awake at 6 a.m. so i've gotten up to walk in the morning a few times. let me just say that i'm thankful for a God who gives us some relief from the heat here in texas through the night time! it's still warm for sure, but not so hot i can't stand it.
movement? tons and tons and tons of movement. this baby is a mover for sure. i had an imprompu sonogram on friday morning due to some digestive issues that i've been having for a while and baby did not. stop. moving!!!! i love it.
food cravings? anything cold. ice cream, popsicles, slurpees, smoothies, ice water. cold cold cold.
gender predictions? okay, well both jeff and i've been thinking pink - but after this sonogram, i think i saw something that shouldn't be there if it were a girl. {although the sonographer told me that she didn't even know what it was - after i specifically asked her not to tell me and then i changed my mind after it was over. so maybe i didn't?} we find out wednesday.
what i miss: cooler weather. but that doesn't have anything to do with being pregnant. ha.
what i'm looking forward to: WEDNESDAY!!!@#@$%!
how are you feeling? great, besides the digestive stuff going on. i think i may be slightly lactose intolerant this pregnancy. i spoke with the doctor this morning and he said that can be common - especially if you're eating a lot of dairy and nothing complex with it at the same time. {ummm.... such as the cheesecake i made on wednesday.....}
comparisons to last pregnancy? i didn't ever take belly pictures last time, but i'm kind of thinking i'm smaller this time around. {jeff has told me the same thing}. i know i have a looooong way to go - and i didn't begin to swell until 30 weeks + last time, but judging by some other pictures, i think being in great shape before i even got pregnant has helped. plus i'm eating a lot better this time around. {minus the cheeseballs and ice cream}. yes, i crave stuff like that but i'm able to keep in moderation. i'm eating lots of fresh fruit {maybe it's the season too} and a lot less pasta and fast food. hmmm.... i'm going to try to find some pictures to compare.
milestones? the exercising is big... oh - and i've started back with my morning cup of coffee. that's a BIG deal. i was so sad to cut that out - but i couldn't stomach it. ugh. but now, it's back in full force. i love it.

daddy's birthday celebration.

the day of jeff's actual birthday, we met his family at la hacienda in frisco. have i ever mentioned how much we love this place? of course, we're a little partial as it was the site of our first date, but it's great to take kids to. it's super fast when it needs to be, the food is awesome and there are kiddos everywhere... it's noisy so no one ever notices when your kid gets a little 'loud'!

brady waited patiently in line to ride the fast horse 'with' his daddy.

jeff was trying to teach him how to hold his arm up like a real bull rider!

miss mel and uncle bubba took him on another horsey ride after dinner!

happy birthday, jeffrey. we had fun celebrating all that you are to us!

two recipes.

recipe 1: cam's mango salsa

several people have emailed me and asked me about my mango salsa recipe. i thought i'd put it on here to share it with EVERYONE.



***note: this is just a loose adaptation from one my brother, a professional chef, made at a going away party for our friend judd. he vaguely gave me the contents {since chefs apparently don't use recipe cards} and i've tried to work it out since then. so please know - everything is really 'to taste'. start with a little of each ingredient and work your way up to what you like as you go.***

ingredients:

3-4 mangos, peeled and roughly diced {if you don't know how to cut a mango, i didn't, there are several very helpful videos on youtube. just an fyi... but i'm sure you already knew. :)}
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 orange, red, or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped {you can use a combination if you want... i like to use the pepper to add more color!!}
1-3 peppers, seeded and chopped, for heat; {i have used a habenero before but i'm warning you - start with one - and wear gloves! those suckers are hot! i've also used pablano peppers or jalapenos. it depends on what looks the freshest at the grocery store and how much heat i'm wanting. i'd maybe start with jalapenos if you aren't sure!}
squeeze of lime juice
cilantro, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste
***secret ingredient!!!!***raspberry preserves

directions:

mix mangos, half the onion and half the bell peppers in large bowl. start slowly and add the hot peppers... occasionaly tasting, with a chip to see when it gets too hot. add more onion or more bell pepper if you want. it depends on what looks right and what tastes right to you. i tend to like a 2:1 ratio of the mangos with everything else... in other words, twice the mangos as onion and twice the mangos as bell peppers. when you get it to be slightly hotter than you'd like, add some chopped cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. add a squeeze of lime juice... and to cam's dismay, mine comes out of a green squirt bottle, not a real lime! oh - the horror!!!! mix well and taste. is it tasting pretty good - maybe a little spicy? good.

here's the key - add a spoonful of raspberry preserves. i know it sounds weird but it acts as a binder and balances the heat {or so my professional chef brother has told me}. it really brings it all together. mix well. add more if it's not the consistency you want. it should look like a pretty pico de gallo. also - remember, as it sits in the refrigerator, the preserves will become a little runnier - so don't overdo it with them.

it will take a few times to get it just like you want it - but it's so yummy and perfect for summer. i make it in huge batches and it only lasts us 2 days. the hubbs AND the bug loooove it. j sometimes eats it without chips!

recipe 2: darlene's monkey bread

okay - so after i did my 'day in the life' post - i got several questions on the way i made the monkey bread. well, it's my mother-in-law's recipe, and it's easy and brady loves it. {i guess, i don't mind all the cinnamon and sugar as well.. duh!}



ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 10 oz cans refrigerated biscuits
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

directions:

sprinkle pecans evenly in bottom of a well-greased l0-inch bundt pan. set pan aside. combine sugar and cinnamon. cut biscuits into quarters; roll each piece in sugar mixture, and layer in pan. combine brown sugar and butter; pour over dough. bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. cool bread l0 minutes in pan; invert onto serving platter.

ENJOY!!!!!!