Monday, March 29, 2010

I Love Being An Auntie...

This little man stole my heart the other day. Lots of babies do that... but Nickolai is special. I'll get to love him, spoil him... feed him lots of sugar and SEND HIM HOME! It's kind of like being a Grandma. Minus the old part. ;o)
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Brandon and I are lucky to be able to call him our nephew!
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We look forward to cheering on UW while wearing our Purple & Gold together for many years to come!

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I love you, little man! I can't wait to spend time with you!!!
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Doesn't Brandon look GOOD holding a baby? Yep, I thought so too.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Oh, Baby!

I'm texting from the family birthing waiting room. We've done this before. Actually, this is almost a repeat of our last adventure here. My SIL is now six days past her due date... what a trooper! We were secretly hoping for a little leprechaun, but it'll be the 18th now...

We've played Sets.
We've played Catch Phrase.
We've played Toss Around Insults.
We've played Guess the Baby's Weight.
We're done playin' around!

The next game will be Guess Who He Looks Like and Who Gets to Hold Him First??

We all have our Team Nickolai shirts on... courtesy of *muah* we're rootin' for ya buddy! C'mon!

I've decided... being an Auntie is my favorite job so far. ;0)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Healthy but TASTY Blueberry Muffins!

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I am a sucker for blueberries. I love them! I wonder if it's because we used to have about 12 bushes... Maybe! I used to make pies like a mad woman. Well, a mad-adolescent, really. Anyway, I put a yummy blueberry muffins candle on top of my stove last week and every time I use the oven it heats up and smells fabuloso! For a while I couldn't figure out what the smell was... but I knew I LOVED it! Ha! Thanks to my dear Hubbs for pointing out the obvious! The candle had half melted on my stove top. Um, duh! So, I have been craving blueberry muffins ever since. However, I'm really trying to stay on track with my eating plan. Not to mention that while I do love to cook I am very short on time these days. So, I picked up a box of Fiber One muffin mix the other day... I made them this morning when E went down for her first nap. They actually are pretty darn good!

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I added half of a container of fresh blueberries to the mix... just because I love them so! I also made them with applesauce instead of the 2 tablespoons of oil that it calls or. The directions for the healthier version are available on the side of the box.

The best part? These tasty muffins are a decent size and when made as the healthier version, they're only 2 points! They are 140 calories apiece with 2.5g total fat and 5g dietary fiber! Score!!! If they are made with the oil then they are 160 calories and 3 points apiece. Their point value/caloric value makes them a perfect snack for anytime of the day. Since the box makes 12 these would be easy to make at the beginning of one week and freeze for the next week!

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I do suggest having I Can't Believe Its Not Butter spray on hand as they aren't oozing with oil... ;) I enjoyed mine this morning with my scrambled egg whites & cheddar and a small glass of fat free milk!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Top Two Tuesday

Hello friends! I know I've been semi-absent...

Here's my list of excuses:

  • LA BFF's wedding is in one month!
  • LA BFF's second bridal shower was this weekend up here in WA so the weekend was jam packed.
  • We had a serious bridesmaid dress situation in regards to LA BFF's wedding. Um, we solved it... with THIS dress in Navy... it'll be just fan.freaking.tastic!
  • My Grandma's birthday celebration Sunday included lots of shopping at the "big city stores" such as JoAnn and Kohls... :) She lives in a tiny town!
  • My nephew is about to make his appearance
  • My BIL/SIL did a total remodel of their house... They started in November. Did I mention they both work full time and SIL is finishing her Masters this month? Or that my BIL did the entire remodel himself while working full time? Brandon and I have been helping them finish up loose ends and finish the nursery! Yowza!
  • I got to visit my cousin's new baby girl, Isla. :) What a doll!
  • I'm in my "finals" week of this session of school... Yikes!

Ok, on two Top Two Tuesdays... Favorite Names!

I just happened upon The Undomestic Momma today while blog browsing and I think I'll stick around! :)

We have talked about baby names for the entire seven years we've been together... They've changed over the years but there are a few that have always stuck in our minds. Girls names are by far easier for us to pick... And I kind of think we'll have girls when that time comes anyway.

Girls: Alivia, Taryn and Kara are our top contenders. The middle names we'll choose from are: Jeane, Kristine, Elizabeth, Irina & Lauren. I am pretty set on using a family name as a middle name and those are my favorites! :)

Boys: Tristan, Tyler, Owen & Andrew. My favorite is Andrew right now. I LOVE the name Drew for a boy and I think Brandon's favorite is Tristan. Now, middle names for the boy name is a difficult one. I still want to use a family names but I am not in love with the names we have to choose from. Here is the list of possibilities: Frank, Wayne, Lloyd, Harold, William, Michael, Jason, Scott & Blair. Or, we could potentially use my last name, Yarger. But, that doesn't flow very well!!! :(

Which is your favorite? Names are such a difficult task... Well, for me at least! I tend to be a little indecisive!!! :)

Happy Tuesday!