My Prince and I

On a regular basis, Emma talks about the life she will have one day with her prince and baby. Yes, I said baby (singular) not plural because "two babies would be too heavy to hold." She talks about them going to church, the zoo, shopping and what her baby will eat, wear, live, play etc. She's even talked about her wedding day (and she's already said that she wants to wear my wedding dress...I'm holding her to that one :-) ) It's all rather detailed and changes daily as her imagination continues to grow. Anyway, as we were driving today, Emma started talking about her prince and said that he will play with football stuff. I asked her if he would watch football on TV, to which she answered "yes." Then I asked her if she would watch it with him. She thought long and hard for a minute and then said "No, football is a boy show." Hee, hee, she cracks me up. Such a girl - already planning ahead for a husband and a family. She's so caught up in this whirlwind of life and love and a lot of what she imagines of course is what she sees through our life together. It's cute that she wants to experience what we have with her for her later life.
We had a rather yummy dinner and thought I would share it since it's easy, kid-friendly and healthy. We all like to have new ideas or a new twist to comfort food to feed our families. We all get tired of the same old boring stuff. So, from time to time, if I try something interesting, I'll post it for y'all (yes, the southern coming out in me) to try.

The Menu: Li'l Cheddar Meat Loaves with Sweet Potato Latkes & Edamame Beans (soy beans)
I usually buy Edamame pods because Emma loves to pop them into her mouth but this time I tried some frozen ones that we're already shelled. Don't knock them until you try them folks - they are delicious and kids love them! Just put sprinkle with a little salt.

Li'l Loaves (a new twist to old favorite)
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1 c. shredded cheddar (I used mozzarella because it has less fat and it's what I had)
1/2 c. quick cook oats
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. lean ground beef
Mix well and form into 8-9 small loaves; place on a pam-sprayed 9x13 dish.
Topping: 2/3 c. ketchup, 1/2 c. brown sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. mustard - mix and spoon over loaves. Bake uncovered at 350 for 40-45 min. (I do the ketchup topping a little different though - I add a little cider vinegar and a little less mustard).

Sweet Potato and Zucchini Latkes (from the South Beach Parties and Holidays cookbook)
1 medium zucchini (1/2 lb) ends trimmed
1 large sweet potato (3/4 lb), peeled
1/4 c. onion
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
3 T. canola oil
Unsweetened applesauce (optional)
Coarsely grate zucchini and potato in a food processor or with a hand grater; transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Add onion, egg, salt and pepper; stir to combine.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet (I used my electric skillet) over med-high heat. Working in batches, add mixture by heaping tablespoons to skillet, gently flattening with the back of the spoon as you go (I used my fingers - it's easier). Cook until golden (1-2 min.) and then flip and cook for another 2 min. The recipe says to drain on paper towels but I used only a little oil and didn't have the "oily" problem so I didn't need to do that. Serve hot with applesauce on the side if desired.

Welcome to our family Blog!

In the past week I've had two friends send me an email informing me of their new blog site. I also have several other friends who have started ones and decided that I too need to get with the program. It will be an easy way to inform all our family and friends of our life.
So here goes:
Emma is already talking about her birthday (she'll be four years old 5 months from now) and has told me she wants a make-up cake. For those of you that don't know - I go all out on the birthday cakes - I like to create! It will be a fun one! Emma loves to play dress-up and use her imagination. She cracks me up with the stories she creates. Playing "Mary" is one character she still plays daily even though Christmas has passed. She's been asking so many questions lately about Jesus and wanting to know more. It's time we get this girl her own Bible. Emma is enjoying preschool and loves her teachers Ms. Anne and Ms. Lois. Surprisingly, no "best friends" in her class. She still says Adele is favorite friend but we just found out that they are moving this summer. She will be very sad (as we all will).
Aubrey is 1 years old going on 3 (she wants to be and do everything her sister does). There isn't much she can't do that Emma can. She LOVES to climb - the chair, couch, bed or table....whatever she sees as a challenge at the time. And the girl has a good arm - she can throw like a "boy". We're convinced she'll be our athletic one. She's such a happy child and loves life. Her little "thing" that she does is bob her head back and forth (if you can believe it she started doing that when she was only a month old). Now she does it in silliness and we affectionately call her Bobble Head.
Jason's job at Sysco is going great and his business continues to flourish. He even won us a trip to Las Vegas at the end of February. It will be our first trip without the kids. My sister in Philly has graciously agreed to watch them for us. The kids will have a ball there with their older cousins.
As for me, I get up at 4:30 every morning except on Sat/Sun/Mon to start my day at a job I started in October. Although it's a sacrifice to get up early, it's worth it to be at home with the kids. I'm usually ready for bed at 8pm but sometimes push it later so that I can relax after the kids go to bed. I have big plans for 2008 - I would like to do a sprint triathlon in October called Ramblin Rose which is women only. I was training for it last year but had to withdraw as I had a spill off my bike and tore a ligament in my thumb which required surgery. All is good now.
Well folks, this should be a good start to the family blog. We'll keep you updated of things that are going on and you can watch our kids grow as we all know they do too quickly.