Laughter

I have always loved laughing. It's happy and contagious! Richie loves to laugh too and loves when he is able to make us laugh. If we're distracted with something and he does something that he thinks is funny he will ask us if that was funny. He also loves to imitate laughter. When he's watching Veggie Tales he will laugh like them, which is cuter than cute! When he watches old video of himself laughing, he laughs like that. I love that little boy!!

I'm grateful for the people that call just to tell us that they love us and miss us. I'm grateful to the people that love us even when we aren't perfect or have a difference in opinion.


The rest of this post is just me venting.
I don't understand people's priorities. There are some people that are legitimately upset about the fact that a lion died. I understand that the way that the dentist killed the lion makes me people mad, and I respect that. I also understand that people can care about the way the dentist killed the lion AND other issues in the world. But the people that are upset because a lion died….?? What?? There are innocent babies being killed every single day in America before they even see the light of day. How about giving those babies some emotion? (I also can't believe the way that people treat others because they have a difference in opinion. It takes all kinds of kinds. Agree to disagree. Everyone isn't going to have the same opinion.)

I can't believe that aborted babies are being SOLD. I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT. I read that over a million babies are aborted every year. My thought was holy cow that's a lot of babies! What would we do with a million more people, a year! WHO KNOWS! One of those babies could cure cancer. What if Mary decided she wasn't going to obey God and aborted Jesus? What if we had no Jesus! Even if you don't believe in Him, think about it. All the people that do believe in Him and are doing good because of that belief. If there was no Jesus, how would we all be acting? Probably like hooligans.

I understand that people get raped and end up pregnant. To give a baby up for adoption is FREE. Sure there's emotion involved. If the baby is a result of a rape, there are mixed emotions. No you probably don't want the baby, but someone else does! You can rejoice in the fact that SOMEONE wants that baby and will give them a good life! Regardless of how they were conceived. I personally would have bad emotions if I aborted a baby vs the good emotions of giving someone else the opportunity to have a family and laugh and smile!

Jeremy and I have been trying for several months to try and have another baby. I can tell you it hurts every single month when I get my period. I always tell myself that I might be pregnant anyways, because lots of people have periods while they're pregnant. That's not the case. I've taken a pregnancy test too. One line…. SUCKS. I can only imagine trying for years and years. There's been a lot of laughter in our house thanks to one very special little boy!

Slow Cooker Crack Chicken

I found this recipe on Facebook but there wasn't a link to a website or anything, just the recipe. So I'll have to post it here so I can use it for reference.

Slow Cooker Crack Chicken

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese
2 (1 oz) packets dry Ranch seasoning
8 oz bacon, cooked crisply and crumbled

Instructions
In a slow cooker, combine chicken, cream cheese and Ranch seasoning. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours, until chicken shreds easily. Once chicken shreds, stir with a large fork or spoon so the chicken shreds and all the ingredients combine. Add in crumbled bacon and stir to incorporate. Serve warm, on a bun.

Menu 1

I think I'm also going to put my weekly mean menus on here, just so they're easier to keep track of.
I follow the Trim Healthy Mama way of eating, if anyone is interested. Check it out!
Oh and because Jeremy has Sunday and Monday off, those are our Saturday and Sunday so our week starts on Tuesday

Tuesday-
Breakfast- eggs and bacon (S)
Lunch- Protein Shake (S)
Supper- Cilantro Lime Avocado Chicken Salad (S) (going to add bacon)
Groceries- 3 eggs, 3 pieces of bacon, almond milk, cocoa, vanilla, Stevia, protein powder, coconut oil, peanut butter, sea salt, cilantro, lime, avocado, chicken, mayo, celery, greek yogurt, cumin, pepper

Wednesday-
Breakfast- eggs and bacon (S)
Lunch- Protein Shake (S)
Supper- Ranch Chicken Enchiladas (S)
Groceries- 3 eggs, 3 pieces of bacon, Ranch, 3 chicken breasts, taco seasoning, 1 packet of dry ranch, salsa, cheddar cheese, chicken broth, low-carb tortillas (I already have everything for my shake)

Thursday-
Breakfast- Berry Crumble Muffins (S)
Lunch- Leftovers(S)
Supper- Bacon Cheeseburgers (bunless) (S)
Groceries- almond flour, flax meal, baking powder, 4 eggs, butter, lemon juice, frozen berries, 8 pieces of bacon, hamburger, cheese slices (I already have Stevia, salt, almond milk and vanilla)

Friday-
Breakfast- eggs and bacon (S) (or any leftover muffins from yesterday)
Lunch- Protein Shake (S)
Supper- Pizza Casserole (THM, Pg 327)
Groceries- 3 eggs, 3 pieces of bacon, hamburger, mozz cheese, pepperoni, pizza sauce, seasonings for burger (I already have everything for my shake)

Saturday-
Breakfast- Pizza Omelet (S)
Lunch- Protein Shake (S)
Supper- Chicken Fajitas (S) (no recipe, just chicken in fajita mix with cheese in a tortilla)
Groceries- 3 eggs, pepperoni, Italian Seasoning, chicken, Fajita Seasoning, tortillas, (I already have mozz cheese, salt/pepper and stuff for my shake)

Sunday-
Breakfast- Cinnamon Roll MIM (S)
Lunch- Grab-n-go (probably off plan) or any leftovers
Supper- Fat Head Pizza (S)
Groceries- 1 egg, oat fiber, cinnamon, yogurt (I already have almond flour, flax meal, baking powder, vanilla, Stevia and coconut oil)

Monday-
Breakfast- Pizza Omelet (S)
Lunch- Quesadillas (crossover) (no recipe, we just use hamburger and cheese in between 2 tortillas
Supper- Out to eat (probably off plan)
Groceries- 6 eggs, hamburger (I already have pepperoni, cheese, tortillas and Italian seasoning)

You should know that I'm fine with crossovers. Yes, I'm trying to lose weight but crossovers aren't hurting me, they just aren't helping me.
Also, anywhere that says Protein Shake, I'll eat leftovers instead if there is any.
And yes, there is a couple times where I might go off plan. Life still happens. I'll try to stay on plan but I'm okay with not being 100%.

I'll also try to add a grocery list. This is hard for me because I overlook things that I almost always have on hand…


Netrition.com
Protein powder- 4 scoops
Almond Flour- 2 C, 2 Tbsp, 2/3 C
Oat Fiber- 1 Tbsp
Stevia- 8 tsp, 1 C

Seasonings
Cinnamon
Fajita seasoning- 1
Taco Seasoning
Dry Ranch packet- 1
Cumin
Pepper
Sea Salt

Veggies/Fruit
Celery- 1/4 C
Cilantro- 1/4 C
Lime- 1
Avocado- 1
Lemon Juice (lemon)

Refrigerated
Sliced Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese- 1 1/2 C
Butter
Cheddar Cheese- 2 C
Almond Milk- 3 C, 1/2 C
Greek Yogurt- 2
Eggs- 23
Cream Cheese- 3 Tbsp

Meat
Bacon- 20 (for eggs and bacon, bacon cheeseburgers, Cilantro Lime Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwiches, and just about anything else we can add bacon too! :D )
Chicken- 12 oz can for Cilantro Lime Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwiches, 4 for Ranch Chicken Enchiladas
Hamburger- 4 pounds (1 pound for bacon cheeseburgers, 1 pound for pizza casserole, 1 pound for Fat Head Pizza and 1 pound for Quesadillas)
Pepperoni- 2 pkgs (for Pizza Omelets, pizza casserole and Fat Head Pizza)

Frozen Section
Frozen berries- 2 C
Frozen Pizza- I like to keep one on hand, in case I really don't feel like cooking or heating up my house with the stove on then I can throw this on the grill and not spend $20 + temptations ordering pizza!

Aisles
Pizza Sauce- 2 jars (one for Pizza Casserole, one for Fat Head Pizza)
Ranch Bottle
Salsa- 1/2 C
Mayo
Peanut butter-
Chicken Broth- 1 can
Baking Powder
Flax Meal- 1 C, 1 Tbsp
Coconut oil- 4 Tbsp
Cocoa powder (unsweetened)-
vanilla

Bread
Tortillas- 2 packages




I'm not affiliated with any brand, web page, book, or anything. I'm just putting this out there for my references, and anyone else who wants some info.

Weekend adventure

The Minion Movie was so cute! Richie would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't at 9:00 at night! :/ but he (barely) stayed awake and watched it all. Jeremy and I liked it!

Thursday night Mandy dropped Trista and Braeden (niece and nephew) off and we went to Tennessee on Friday morning. I hadn't seen them in 6 years when they stayed the night at our house on their way to Washington. I was so nervous about them being nervous, I didn't get any sleep. WallE could tell I was nervous because he was nervous too. Everything went great though. When we got there, 6 hours later, they were so happy to see their daddy. It was cute. We all had a good weekend! We had good food and laughs! Dad, Jeri, Donald, Tiajuana, Alexis, Chris, Mary, Caelan, Wendi, me and Richie were all there. We missed mom and Elissa (and family)! All the different types of personalities kept it interesting but everyone survived!

Caelan is such a cutie pie! He's my little Precious Moment doll! Trista was such a mother hen to Richie, it was so cute. He loved every minute of it! Braeden is a gamer. He likes his technology (just like his daddy!). It was a mostly quiet drive! We're very blessed!

Some funny things Richie has said:
Our hotel had a pool but only hotel guests could swim so Sunday evening him and I went swimming and he told me to "watch the attitude" out of the blue!

I really should have written down the funny things that he was saying at Chris' house. He was cracking everybody up!

Since I don't remember any of the funny things he said I'll post what sign language signs he knows.
He knows ice cream, apple, candy, thank you, please, help, Sunday, dirty, socks, mom, dad and food.

Big Boy alert!!

Richie is growing up so fast! He got a bike in April and it's been fun watching him learn how to ride it and be more confident on it. Today we were airing the car out and doing yard work when the neighbor across the street came out. While we were talking he was riding his bike and was going to ride it into her driveway. Well there is a small curb into her driveway (like most driveways) and in very slow motion he went over the top of his bike. He couldn't decide if he was just going to tip over or go head over heels but eventually landed right on his noggin. Since it was in such slow motion it wasn't hard but he did get a few scratches. He's such a big boy though, he just said "I'm okay" and got back on his bike. I had the sheers in my hand so it's a good thing I didn't try to catch him, but I thought he was going sideways so I wasn't going to catch him. It's all part of living and learning. That has been how we've raised Richie from the beginning. If he's standing on the couch and falls off, he's going to learn either A. not to stand on the couch or B. not to stand that close to the edge. As long as there isn't a coffee table or something that he can get seriously hurt on, we let him live and learn. 

We're very excited to announce that we're DONE with diapers/pull-ups!!! We started potty training in January 2014 and he did pretty well. The biggest hurdle was him tinkling. He would tinkle then tell me that he needed to go potty. He still does it occasionally. A few weeks ago I decided it was time to see if he could go overnight without pottying. I was really skeptical because he was having FULL diapers (pull-ups) but we talked about it and he wanted to wear undies. He potted in them the first night or two and then stopped for a night or two. Then went back to pottying. I thought it wasn't time yet so for a night or two he was in a diaper and I kicked into big boy mode and we talked about it again and he wanted to wear undies so he's been in undies ever since and done great!! He did poop one night, which was so gross, but that was before I regressed to the diapers for the last time. He comes in to tell me every morning that he didn't potty his pants!! We're SO proud of him! And he's proud of himself too! He tells me all the time that he wants a "surprise" (a prize). Little stinker!! 

We're going to go see the Minion movie tonight. I'm hoping to go to the drive-in. I haven't been to a drive-in since Jurrasic Park/The Flintstones! Just saying that makes me feel old! :)

Next weekend we're going to go to Tennessee to see Donald, Tiajuana, Alexis, Braeden, Trista, Chris, Mary, Caelan, Dad and Jeri. I'm excited for our trip! We're going to bring Braeden and Trista with us cause they'll already be in Georgia. Unfortunately it's Jeremy's birthday weekend but that's when it comes in handy to celebrate his birthday on the 4th of July ;) 

Last night we went to Marlow's Tavern for supper and sat on the deck (my favorite part). On Friday nights they have a "band" (it's just a guy or two and a guitar). He was setting up while we were eating but Richie was watching him and kind of up and around our table but wasn't being crazy or anything. This couple was leaving (I hadn't even seen them before that point) and they stopped to tell us that we're doing something right because he was one of the most well-behaved kids they'd seen. It made us smile from ear to ear. He really is a good kid! We are very blessed! Even at his naughtiest he's not that naughty (unless he's tired which is totally different). 

Change!

WHOA! Seriously? A year since I last posted! whoops… :)

Well a LOT has changed! Jeremy is OUT of the Air Force!!! The job search was a scary one, even in Texas where the job market is booming. His AF experience wasn't really related to anything that he was applying for. He eventually found a job with Builder's Surplus as an assistant manager and we moved to Grapevine, TX. We loved the location of our apartment because of everything there is to do, but also because it was right in between our jobs. We moved in there in November and moved out in early April (our lease was up in May though). On March 13th his job asked him if we wanted to move to Georgia. When he came home and asked me, I couldn't stop saying "NO!". I LOVE Texas. WE love Texas. Texas is where we've wanted to be since we got married and now that we're here we aren't leaving. HA! The movers came to pick up our stuff on April 1st and Jeremy left for Georgia on April 6th. We/I decided that it was a VERY unexpected answer to my prayers. I had no idea how I was going to finish school. It was going to take me forever because I needed to work. When I said yes, it came with stipulations: We're saving for Disney, we're flying my mom out when I have baby #2 and we're moving back to Texas before Richie starts school. So if your work is okay with knowing that you are only going to be there for a few years then we can go. After all, we wanted to travel in the military, this isn't any different.

So here we are! :D We live NW of Atlanta, I stay home with Richie (no baby #2 yet) and we're doing great! It's been a wild ride but I love my life! I'm so blessed. I have a husband that works 40+ hours a week only to come home and make sure we're provided for, I have a 3 year old that is full of life, imagination and his MOMMA! And I have WallE. Oh WallE…..

I felt really bad for moving Richie right before his birthday. He isn't going to spend it with any friends or family (except WallE, daddy and Ma). So I made sure to decorate and just make it extra special. He's into so much stuff I didn't know how to decorate! So I got a little bit of everything. Toy Story banner, Bubble Guppies streamers, Mickey balloons and Jake was in the mix somewhere too. He had a good birthday :)

I'm going to get back into blogging. I want to blog about our adventures in GA, funny things that Richie says and also about our budgeting adventure. We don't have much debt right now. We have my car, his car and my student loan. But if we got all of that paid off, think about how much more money we would have!

I already have all of our bills on a spreadsheet. On that spreadsheet I have listed what the bill is, how much it is, when it needs to get paid, the date and amount that I pay and also the confirmation number (I've had to use it before). So on another sheet in the same window, I listed everything. I listed all of our bills and things that we need to save for. Our bills are our cars, car insurance, rent, renters insurance, water, gas, electric, TV/Internet, student loan, cell phones, fun, fuel, food, spending allowance for J & I, clothing allowance, household goods and groceries. Our savings are vacation, medical, emergency fund, car repairs, retirement, future house, car replacement, birthdays, Christmas, plane tickets and our move (a new house in 10 months and our move back to TX).
Jeremy said he is 100% on board with this so here we go! It took me a long time to figure out our budget. I set our budget and figured all of our bills/savings into it. I didn't calculate it down to the last penny because it's hard to do that when he gets bonuses and I do things like Walmart savings catcher. Anything that we don't have put into our budget will get put into the savings plans. There are also things that we don't have in our budget yet. like tithing (we don't have a church home yet), life insurance and dental insurance. When the time comes for those things we will have to do some rearranging but we will get there.

This should be pretty painless for us since we don't have too much debt. Maybe $40,000 (and that's with 2 cars) but I'm guessing it to be around $25,000-30,000. We also don't have a house to include but that's why we're saving for it!

I've been getting a lot of pointers from Stephanie. They have a lot more debt than we do (they don't have a house or pay utilities!) so it's interesting reading about their adventure. Ours won't be nearly as fun to read about but it will be good to scream about paying things off!

There's a lot of change in this post! Change in our lives, my little boy and no more change jingling in our pockets! :)

Richie and Rylea (October 2014)

 Richie and Daddy

Handsome Daddy

Richie and Daddy and church

 Sweet little boy

Matching jammies at grandma Shirley's!

Christmas morning 2014

 Richie and Rylea December 2014

On our way to church! <3 p="">

Richie and Jack! February 2015

Richie and Daddy at the Air Show, August 2014

Jeremy's ceremony for Staff Sergeant 

"Cycle" (Michael) and Richie

The day before we left Nebraska. We were wearing matching shirts (Jeremy hates it, but I was dressed way before he was)

Baby Lucas! 

 Painting Punkins 2014

 Sweet girl

 Richie and Daddy holding baby Lucas! 

 Oh WallE…..

 Helping Bob Bob cook!