Conversations with Nina


Nina's ability to have a real conversation has skyrocketed these past few months. It's so much fun! Here are a few things that make us laugh and melt our hearts.

- In the car yesterday Nina proclaims, "Momma. Brrrrrrrrrr, it's cold out. And slippery. And it's January."

- When playing on the floor she insists on "Applesauce Legs" (apparently after googling it I learned this is the present day equivalent (and one PC version) of Indian style)

- Nina now counts up to 15, but she usually skips 1 and 2 and begins at 3... silly girl. In Spanish, she counts to 10.

- Her favorite song is "The more we get together" (but it sounds like "the more - get - gebber - happy - be")

- She lovvves to help fold laundry and cook dinner, and is actually quite good at it!

- When Mr. Evans calls on the way home from work, Nina loves to ask "How was your day, Daddy?" and they go on chatting for a while

- Nina loves getting a "manicure" (sounds like "man-a-que-arhhh") from me, which includes clipping and filing her nails, with some lotion afterwards

- When asked what we should name her baby sister her answer is always "Bee" (???)

- At night, she constantly insists on "more hugs, momma/daddy" after her bedtime prayers, and then she proceeds to wrap her little arms around your neck so tight!

- First thing in the morning, she pulls up my shirt to reveal my baby bump and says "Good morning baby sister. I love you (but it sounds more like "I - lub - you")"... p.s. this is and has always been totally unprompted, just like everything!

- I could go on and on, like most parents. But really, isn't every age and stage full of such fun things!! :)

Love this...

I recently came across this and had to share... what a lovely sentiment. 

Stay warm today!
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25+ Week Bump Photo (Baby #2)

Honestly, I hate selfies. However, this has been my only form of bump documentation thus far. By the time we remember to take bump photos, I am in my "comfy" clothes, Nina is in bed, it's dark and the last thing on my mind is a "cute" bump photo. I suppose this photo is the exception - at least I managed to remember to take one. I've taken a few others on my iPhone, but none that are share-worthy, but enough for the little miss to see what her momma looked like as she was growing!


All things baby girl #2 are coming along! She's doing great - moving a ton. I feel great... nothing out of the ordinary to complain about! I'm still in regular clothes, just maternity jeans. Nina talks constantly about her little sister, gives her kisses, asks if she's coming along when we run errands (answer = "yes, in momma's tummy"), asks when she can hold her (answer = "soon, once she's done growing in momma's tummy"), asks to hold her, say goodnight and good morning, etc. She's going to be a fantastic big sister - I just know it.

Last weekend, we painted the nursery. I decided on Martha Stewart's Seed Pearl. It can be best described as a very light lavender with hints of gray. I plan to stencil on a pattern similar to this and I already bought this chandelier. Otherwise, I'm still deciding on the rest (artwork, curtains, bedding, etc). Fun stuff!

I'll keep you posted again soon! It sure is different with baby #2 - no registry, no baby showers, no first baby anxiety. Still, I am just as excited to meet this little girl in less than 15 weeks (I'm 26 weeks on Friday)! Wahoo!

Nina's Swim Lessons

Last winter, Nina took the "shrimp" level class at our local YMCA (see photos here). A few weeks ago, she started the "perch" level. She loves the water and literally cannot get enough! Here are a few quick (blurry) photos of Mr. Evans and Nina at their Wednesday evening swim class. What a cutie!




Lately...

Here's just a little bit of what's going on lately... :)

I am officially 25 weeks today. This pregnancy has been flying along! Although I haven't been blogging much about this pregnancy yet, I promise I will start soon. The nursery decorating plans are in the works, bump photos are being taken, Nina is SO excited and baby girl is doing well!

I recently chopped my hair off and added some darker highlights... here's an awkward selfie from my bathroom. Thanks to Carla and Katie for convincing me to do it. It is so much easier in the morning! :)

I am in love with this watch my parents got me for Christmas. Sometimes a new something special is just what the doctor ordered! I also love these gloves from Mr. Evans... they make me feel so glamorous on date night in the doldrums of winter!

I recently finished reading Maria Semple's popular Where'd you go, Bernadette. I read it on our Kindle Fire (it's a long story... we have an iPad as well but got this Kindle for free when we bought our new SUV (also a long story...)) and I devoured it! It lives up to all the hype and I totally recommend it!

Last weekend, my friend Kayla and I went to the St. Norbert Abbey's Spirituality Center for a Mom2Mom Retreat organized by my sister-in-law Carla. We were phone-less/technology-less all weekend, so here's the only (blurry) photo I took... on the drive up we had Starbucks. :) Nonetheless, the retreat was full of wonderful details and opportunity for some physical and mental rest with massage, meditation, prayer and thought provoking discussions. Besides the fact I got a stomach bug and was fighting a cold all weekend, it was soo worthwhile!

Happy Weekend! 

New Mama Pasta Bake

I just had to share this no muss, no fuss recipe today. It is the PERFECT meal to enjoy right away, freeze and/or take to a new mama's when they return home from the hospital! This recipe was given to me by Carla when I came home with Nina, and now I make it for everyone I know who has a baby (and who lives in my town)! :) It's originally from an Evans family friend, Ann, who passed it to my SIL Katie, who then passed it to my SIL Carla. It's time tested and couldn't be any more comforting, easy or delish!

My cousin Dana and her husband Jeff recently had a baby, Elly, and so I brought this to her a week or so ago! :)

New Mama Pasta Bake

1 lb. hot Italian sausage (I use mild for breastfeeding moms)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped (or less depending on your taste)
2/3 of a 10 oz bag of spinach (I just throw in the whole bag so it's extra healthy)
1/4 c. pesto
1 c. grated parmesan cheese, divided
28 oz can diced tomatoes
10 oz. penne or pasta, cooked
6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees (only if you plan to eat this right away).
- In a large pan, brown sausage and onion. Then, add garlic and tomatoes. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly.
- Meanwhile, get your water boiling and cook the pasta.
- Once the sauce has thickened a bit, add in pesto and season with salt and pepper (to taste).
- In a large bowl, combine pasta, spinach and 1/3 c parm cheese. Then, stir in hot tomato/sausage mixture and mix until the spinach has wilted and it's combined.
- Transfer to a 13x9 greased pan. Sprinkle on remaining cheese. Bake for 30 mins (only if eating this right away). Otherwise, cover and freeze or bring to your new mama (they can decide if they want to bake it right away or freeze for a later use).
- I always bring the meal to new mama's in a disposable tin pan - makes for easy clean up which everyone appreciates! :) I also tape on a little instructions sheet so the new mama doesn't have to think about temperature, time, what is in the pan... along with everything else their trying to figure out.



5 Bits


1. Two things define you. Your patience when you have nothing, and your attitude when you have everything. - unknown

2. Listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff. - catherine m. wallace

3. Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company. -booker t.washington

4. If we wait until we're ready, we'll be waiting for the rest of our lives. - lemony snicket

5. It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. - thoreau

DIY White Growth Chart

I've been eyeing up this Ruler Growth Chart from Dear Lillie for a while now and finally decided to make my own. The original costs $75 and I made mine for about $12, so I was pretty excited! I mainly used things I already had around the house - primer, white paint, brushes and polyurethane. I only really purchased the board and some black craft paint. Here's how I did it (and how you can, too)!

There are tutorials all over Pinterest, but here are a few I found helpful (I took things I liked and/or found helpful from each post below):


The quick summary of what I did:
- Purchase board at Home Depot (I made sure to buy a straight smooth board).
- Sand rough edges (this took me no more than 1 minute).
- Paint a coat of primer (let dry), then add coats of white paint until desired finish. Let dry overnight.
- Next, I had Mr. Evans install a little mounting bracket to the back and we hung it in place on the wall (so that the top of the board was as close as possible to the desired height). From here, I added 1 inch tick mark measurements (verrry lightly in pencil) so that it lined up with the height from the floor.
- Then, I gathered my sharpie, ruler, a ball point pen, craft brush and black paint. I also had printed out the numbers to trace per step #4 in the instructions here.
- I used a sharpie for the inch marks. For the numbers I transferred them on with a ball point pen and filled them in with a small craft brush (luckily I have a steady hand, but you could use sharpie as well I suppose).
- Last, I put on one coat of polyurethane to seal in the sharpie, color, etc. Hang it back up and you're all set! It's so easy! :)

Here is the finished product - I quickly snapped a few photos on my iPhone! I realize these are terrible photos, but there are so many great photos on Pinterest that you'll get the idea! Ours hangs between the two girls bedrooms (on the wall outside their bathroom), as both will be measured on this chart!


Christmas Minute to Win It

During the Evans family Christmas at our house, I planned a "Minute to Win It" game for the adults. We played with 4 couples and did 6 events, which lasted about 1 hour. I really enjoyed planning and playing, so I thought this deserved a separate post! :) More details are below, but for now here are a few fun photos!








Events:
Noodling Around
Face the Cookie
Caddy Stack
A Bit Dicey
Don't Tip the Joker
Penny Hose
(Just Google these to learn more, but I queued up the 30 second "blueprint" on YouTube/Apple TV so that everyone knew how to do the event prior to playing)

Rules:
- 5 points per event successfully completed within 1 minute
- Team with most points is the winner
- Team must split events (6 events, so each person in the couple must do at least 3)

Supplies Needed: (these are mostly things you have around your house)
- box of flat cookies (Nilla Wafers, Oreos)
- box each of penne and spaghetti
- 3 golf balls
- 6 dice
- popsicle sticks
- card deck
- empty, clean and dry beer bottle
- pantyhose (buy these new :)
- 2 pennies

I also made a little poster to keep score. :) Have fun!

p.s. If you check Pinterest, there are TONS of ideas for events for couples, families, kids, birthday's, etc.


Christmas and NYE 2013 Recap

Warning - this will be a long post full of photos! :) I figured since I haven't blogged over the holiday weeks, I'm due for some long posts! Here's a recap of our Christmas!

The weekend before Christmas, we hosted the Evans family at our house (Beth and Nick, we missed you)! We had the pleasure of having 13 people hunker down for 2-3 nights of fun, family, yummy food, games, snow and more! Here a few highlights of new things we did this year - make-your-own panini bar, adult Minute to Win It game, carol singing, hot tubbing, playing outside in the snowstorm, hot cocoa bar, calzones and lots of new recipes, and a trip to see the lights and Santa at our local "Enchantment in the Park." I could do an entire post about all of these fun things, but you get the gist! Our annual traditions include appetizer/cocktail hour(s), present exchange, enchiladas, birthday celebrations and cake, games (with totally fabulous prizes), and more! I'm lucky to have entered into such a fun and gracious family!


On Christmas Eve, we spent a bit of time with my Dad's side of the family - including Lauren and Hayden! It's always so great to see them, even if just for a bit! :)

We go to church Christmas Eve and always cook a special meal afterwards. This year it was our favorite Boeuf Bourguignon! We didn't manage to capture many good photos before church, but here they are anyway!

We spent the night at my parents house (even though they only live 10 minutes from us) and Santa came there (Nina left a note for Santa at our house). After opening presents and a special breakfast for Nina (my mom made that Santa pancake/whipped cream concoction), we drove over to my uncle and aunt's for the day. This year was extra special because my cousin Dana (their daughter) had a baby girl, Elly Noella, on Christmas Eve. So, Christmas Day we went to the hospital to see the sweet new baby. Nina loved holding her!
I didn't manage to take many photos the rest of the day... must've been too busy chasing after the kiddos or having too much fun! As always, William, Evelyn, Clara and Nina steal the show!


Hope you had as much fun as we did -- there is nothing better than time with family!

Ok now onto New Year's Eve... we stayed in and celebrated the ball drop with Nina at 4:00 pm! Mr. Evans did a balloon drop and confetti for her, a little appetizer plate, some sparkling grape juice and we watched last year's Times Square drop on the Apple TV. Sweet little girl loved it! Later on for dinner I made ahi tuna (for Mr. Evans, this preggers can't eat it), a grapefruit/jumbo lump crab salad and panna cotta with fresh berries for dessert!


Nina is very into art projects, so on New Year's Day we made a paper ring chain to RING in the New Year (get it?)!! It was a fun activity for all of us - we cut the paper strips, colored both sides, wrote down "goals" that she wants to accomplish in 2014, stapled the rings together, and it proudly now hangs over her bathroom mirror (just as she requested). Happy New Year!

2014

It’s a new year! For me this means saying goodbye to 2013 and hello to 2014 (time for fresh starts, freshening up, a new calendar, and preparing for the awesome things to come).

As for reflection, of course I always think about bad habits to kick, new skills to learn, people I admire, what I have overcome this past year, what I admire in my life, and where my life is headed (sub-out I/me/my for us/we/our/etc).

My answers are always framed with my thoughts on balance, priorities, simplifying, what matters most and making things happen. I hope you (and your spouse) take time to reflect and plan together. :)

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and I wish you nothing but a happy, healthy and successful 2014! :)

p.s. Comparison is the thief of joy. Such a goood reminder as we begin the new year!
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