Ole'

I wanted to share this great recipe with you. My book club girls got me thinking about Cinco de Mayo recipes... and I improvised a little yesterday and it turned out great.

Throw 3 chicken breasts in the Crockpot

(I like to sear mine first... so you don't get that weird foamy sludge in your Crockpot... kinda like the weird sludge in hot tubs. Yuck.)

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 bag of frozen corn (I like the roasted corn from Trader's)

1 jar of salsa verde (again, I like Trader's)

1/4 c of water

I also threw a little salt and pepper and some Chalula in there

Leave it all in there for about 6 hours on high. Make sure the chicken is cooked through.

I served it with corn tortillas, sour cream, lettuce, salsa, guacamole and tomato.

I also had the leftovers atop lettuce today for lunch... even better!

PS I'm going to be THIRTY tomorrow!

Grown ups are thirty!

My wonderful husband is taking me some place... I love him.

Nana Welch

I'm in Oregon today saying goodbye to my Nana Welch. She was the matriarch of our family. She was 91 years old and lived a full life. She was married to my Papa Welch for 68 years. She was an incredible cook and hostess. She could make fresh apple pies and peach cobbler like it was nobody's business. I have so many wonderful memories of my Nana including many Easter vacations spent with her at their ranch, Easter egg hunts, Kings in the Corner and the importance of knocking on the table when your turn was over, scrambled eggs with cheese, swimming for hours in their pool in Newport Beach, school shopping, All My Children, and the importance of a good, long nap in the afternoon. She was an amazing gardener. She turned choosing fruit and produce from the grocery store into an art. She'd sit in her wing back chair in the evening before bed and carefully slice a piece of fruit with a paring knife and offer slices to each of us. She taught me the importance of mixing meatloaf with your hands. Our last hours together were spent thanking her, singing to her, and reflecting. What an amazing woman she was. She loved Jesus and her family so very much. We will miss you, Nana.

Cheater, Cheater Pumpkin Eater

I'm cheating. I'm so behind on our blog. I compiled all of our events from the last month into one little slideshow. Take a look at our fun month.

It's Good to be Queen

This afternoon I walked in to the living room to find Sadie sporting this lovely crown. I don't have too look very far to see who crowned her :)

PS.. both of my girls have done this hilarious fist thing at about 3 months where they get fixated with their fists raised in front of their faces. It looks like Sadie is ready for a fight.

Thumbs Up!

Last weekend we took a trip to Flagstaff to see family. Our sister in law, Gayle, was just diagnosed with breast cancer. We made the trek out to be together with family before her surgery that took place yesterday. She had a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, all of which went well. The greatest gift is that her lymph nodes came back clear which is a good indicator that they "got" it all. She's amazing... she's such a rock. I want to be like her when I grow up :) While we were there we got to introduce little Sadie to the family, play together, celebrate our sister-in-law, Ruth's birthday, see a piano recital, and just hang out. It was perfect.

before we hit the snow of Flag, we spent a night in Palm Springs

"Nice to meet you, Baby Sadie William!"

We had fun playing in the snow

Our snow friends, Jean and Pierre

The world's most patient cat, Sneakers

Happy Birthday, Ruth

"When you're a little older you can have cake, too."

On Friday night Gayle had a surprise visit from her nursing staff at Flagstaff Medical Center. Gayle is a labor and delivery nurse... and it's clear she's made a huge impact on the ladies that she works with. Another cool thing about our family is that both of our sister in laws are nurses and get to work together at the hospital... how fun to work together with your sister... kinda like someone else I know :)

Counter Time

Sweet Nieces

Message From Sadie William

I'm taking matters into my own hands. My mom is neglecting our blog. She says she's busy taking care of my sister and me, working, and trying to take care of the house, so I thought I would share you what we have been up to. I'm almost 3 months old! Can you believe it? I am all smiles and my mommy and daddy think I'm a really easy baby. My favorite activities are sleeping, eating and hanging out. My Rosie is a great big sister. She had some adjusting to do, but we're getting into our groove and having a lot of fun. Next week we are headed to Arizona to hangout in Sedona and meet my aunties and uncles and cousins. I can't wait.

Love, Sadie William

Daddy and I like watching the Olympics together. My favorite event has been the speed skating.

My sister has been determined to pick out her own outfits each morning. Mommy says she's swallowing her pride and letting Rosie wear whatever she wants.

Here I am hanging out with my cousin, Henry. We're both new to the world. He likes the same things that I do.

We had a visit from my Great Papa Welch. He just turned 91! Happy Birthday, Great Papa! That's My Papa next to him. I'm named after him. I think he's pretty great.

My daddy went to Minnesota on business and he brought us back these great hats!

Carrying the Torch

We are so excited for the Olympics that we can hardly stand it. We LOVE watching the Olympics. in 2008 after the closing ceremony in Beijing I, (heather) went through a little mini-depression. I love watching the Olympians, hearing the background stories, learning about other countries, and cheering for the underdog. This morning we watched Matt Lauer run through the streets of Vancouver carrying the torch. Rosie decided that this looked like a lot of fun and decided to carry her own torch through our living room, running her "loop." Of course, mommy and daddy clapped loud and cheered wildly as she ran.

Getting ready for Daddy to pass the "torch."

(notice what fabulous running shoes the pretty, pretty princess slippers make)

Carrying the torch!