Thankful...

Everyone has been posting about things they are thankful for this month.  Today I am thankful for an amazing, incredible daughter.  I am also thankful that she sleeps through the night!  

 I came home one morning from work and she woke up while I was getting ready to go to sleep because I heard her mobile start playing (she stands up and pushes the buttons)  I went in her room prepared to feed her but instead found her like this, binkie in her mouth laying on her blanket!  She is so smart; she put herself to sleep!  And slept for 2 more hours!

This is her this morning.  She loves her soft blanket.  And her Utah PJ's!

Another thing I am thankful for?  Screaming contests with Iva, one of which I am currently in the middle with as I post this!  

LOVE THIS GIRL! 

Can't wait...

We got family pictures done for my birthday and Iva's six months, and I really wanted to keep them a surprise, but they turned out so cute I had to show some of them off!  The only one of all of us I will show is the one at the top of my blog, but I will give everyone a sneak peek at how cute Iva's are!

Isn't she super cute!??  Yeah, I have a gorgeous baby for sure!  She is also a little wierdo who loves to eat wet leaves, but it just adds to her cuteness I think :)

7 months!

My baby just keeps getting bigger and bigger!

When she makes this face, I think she looks like a cabbage-patch doll

• She is still crawling all over and climbing everything.  We have to move EVERYTHING out of her reach, or else she will knock it over or get it and chew on it.  
• She now LOVES solid foods.  She gets so excited when it is time for  her to eat.  She giggles when we put the spoon in front of her.  
• She is now babbling a little bit.  She says "babababa"  Derrick said "Ba-Ba" is Chinese for dad, so she said "dad" before "mom." Not true. 
• She took a stab at climbing the stairs.  She crawled up right after me one day, but she gets to the third stair and realizes she is stuck and starts to cry.  It is sad and really cute at the same time.  
• She can now pick up things with her thumb and finger.  She can spot the teeniest speck on my carpet and pick it up.  It is SUPER frustrating!  What is even more funny, my mom said I used to do the exact same thing...

I love my baby girl!  

Discovering things

Iva found our sliding window!

I can't tell what she is looking at here, but she likes it

Something different...

I do not usually post about food or recipes, but since we have moved to Columbus, I feel like I cook so much more.  Derrick is home most every night, and I do not work until 7 p.m. which allows us to eat dinner together, something we never had when we were in Utah.  I LOVE it!  So here are a couple new dinners I tried:

Teriyaki Beef Stir-Fry

This one was super tasty.  I got it off of momswhothink.com in the 30-minute recipe section.

1 (3 ounce) package ramen noodles (any flavor)

12 ounces lean ground beef

½ cup chopped onion (medium size)

2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth

¼ cup teriyaki sauce

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

¼ cup sliced green onions

1 cup snow peas, trimmed and cut in half diagonally

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Break ramen noodle block into four pieces, discard seasoning packet. Set noodles aside.

2. In a 3 quart saucepan cook and stir ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain fat.

3. Stir in broth, teriyaki sauce, and carrots. Bring to boiling.

4. Add noodles and green onions. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to separate noodles.

5. Add snow peas and cilantro; cook and stir for 2 minutes longer or until peas are crisp-tender.

6. Ladle into bowls. Makes 4 servings.

**I only had one can of beef broth, so I just used water and a little extra teriyaki sauce.  I will definitely use two cans next time.  I think I will also use two packages of ramen noodles, because it had a lot meat and veggies, but needed the extra noodles.  It also was more like a soup, with a thin texture, so I just added some cornstarch mixed with cold water to thicken it up.  It was super fast and easy and really tasty!

Chicken stew

2 cups broccoli flowerets or snap pea pods  

1 cup water

6 new red potatoes, (3/4 pound), cut into fourths

3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, (3/4 pound), cut into 1-inch cubes

1 jar (12 ounces) chicken gravy

         Mix all ingredients in 3-quart saucepan

         Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and chicken is no longer pink in center.

**I just did mine in the crock pot.  I also used gravy I had made from a packet, and it worked out  just fine.  It did not come out as thick as I would have liked it to, but I did not know how to make it thicker in the crock pot.  I added more veggies than it called for, like frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, and also fresh mushrooms.  I added some different seasonings too.  It turned out really good!

Happy Halloween! Part 2

This picture is hilarious

She did not care too much for raw pumpkin!

This is also the debut of my new haircut...I am going to have Derrick take some better pictures now that it has grown out a little and I am more used to it. 

Our super speedily carved pumpkins...They are a little boring, we know, but I had a paper and Derrick had an anatomy test :(