Beach & a Baby

We're back!  Puerto Vallarta was fabulous, Hayden was an angel (save for the hour-long fit on the flight back from Salt Lake to Tulsa), and we got caught up on sleep.  What more could two tired, stressed-out, parents of three ask for?  The beach-front resort was amazing... we never left for all five days.  Granted, we had to take time to do payroll for the company, but when you're listening to the sound of the waves through your open balcony door, payroll seems like a welcome task!  It was mid 80s during the day and low 70s at night, and the humidity was pretty intense.  I must say my skin loved it, although my hair would instantly frizz the minute we left the room.  I felt like I was resurrecting my grade-school perm!  It was incredible to spend so much uninterrupted time with my husband and our sweet Hayden.  I told Jason I feel like I really got to know her this week by not having to divide my time between three.  Here are a few pictures:

Hayden the Chubby caught a cat nap on our first flight

Views from our balcony and a couple more of the resort... a lush, tropical paradise!



Hayden and Mommy getting silly on the bed

Daddy and his girl on the way to dinner one night. 



  The day after we arrived, I got a text message from my brother-in-law Eric saying my sister was 7 centimeters and progressing quickly!  I was shocked because she was only 37 weeks.  Baby Hudson Allen was born May 3rd, and big sister Avery seems pretty impressed!  I can't wait to get my hands on that beautiful boy.  Here are pictures of the family of four:

Alas, today is Mother's Day and I am taking care of a sick girl.  Jax had a yucky cough and fever earlier in the week, and he gave it to Emerson and Pa-Pa while we were gone.  Speaking of Pa-Pa, he and MeMaw deserve the Medal of Honor/Valor/Bravery for taking care of our two.  He did preschool drop-off and pick-up all by himself, and even took them to Incredible Pizza and the zoo.  Alone.  Unbelievable!  They had a great time and didn't want to leave every time we called home. 

Jason brought me breakfast in bed plus reading material, and I lounged for a couple of hours this morning before getting up.  Talk about pampering!  It was so sweet of him. 

 

Hayden's First Giggle

Two weeks ago, Daddy was playing with Hayden at his desk right before I was about to put her to bed, and I heard her very first giggle.  I quickly grabbed my Canon and took a quick video.  O, how I love babies when they're trying to figure out how to laugh.

Great Diaper Deal @ Target

Target has their jumbo packs of Huggies & Pampers diapers on sale for $8.99 a pack this week.  When you buy 3, you receive a $5 Target gift card.  Plus, head on over to coupons.com  and print off your two $3.00-off Huggies coupons.  Print more if you have another computer available.  After $3.00 off per pack and the $5 promo, I got Huggies for $0.12 a diaper tonight.  Makes me happy. 

Also, Aldi has their pineapple on sale for $0.99 each, and strawberries are $0.99/lb.  Take your Aldi ad to Walmart to pricematch through tomorrow.

 

Recipes & My Big Head

Jason forwarded me the P90X nutrition guide a while back, and I found some recipes that looked amazing.  I made this pork tenderloin recipe this week, and it was a hit with everyone.  Jason was really impressed, and I think that says a lot, considering we're talking about pork tenderloin.  I just backed off the hot sauce a bit for the kids. 

Island Pork Tenderloin

• 16 oz. lean pork tenderoin (I think I bought a loin filet that was 1.5 lbs or so and just increased the rest of the ingredients)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp chile powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/4 C packed brown sugar
• 1/2 T minced garlic
• 1/2 T Tabasco sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chile powder & cinnamon, then coat pork with the spice rub.  Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat & brown, turning, about 5 minutes.  Stir together brown sugar, garlic & hot sauce and pat onto top of tenderloin.  Place pork in a roasting pan and cook in the oven until a meat thermometer reads 155-160.  For a 1-lb tenderloin, they call for 20 minutes.  For the Hormel tenderloin I bought at Target that was a little larger, it took around 40 minutes.

I also made some easy sweet potato 'fries' one night this week.  I googled and found this recipe from an Oprah episode... I thought they were outstanding.  Jason was a little iffy on the Italian seasoning, but to me that's what made them so good.  Here's the link: http://www.oprah.com/food/Oven-Baked-Sweet-Potato-Fries

We were up until 1 a.m. doing payroll for the company last night, so needless to say, I'm wiped today.  Jason got up at 5:30 to do P90X.  Dedication, I tell you.  I consider it success when I make three trips up the stairs in a day.  He's gonna be all muscular and toned for Mexico, and I'm going to be doing everything I can to cover pretty much everything below my shoulders.  Plus slathering on a healthy dose of sunscreen.  I've been on the hunt for a wide-brimmed hat, but the cute ones I've found at Target are really tight on my head.  I have a big head for a girl, I guess.  I was lamenting to my friend Leslie this week, and she suggested I look in the men's department.  I laughed invisioning myself at Bass Pro trying on old mens' fishing hats because they're the only ones that fit me.  What I need is a glamorous, Hollywood-esque floppy hat made for large domes.  Do they make plus-size headwear?

Happy Easter this weekend!  The kids got to hunt eggs at preschool on Wednesday, and we'll probably let them do another hunt on Sunday, maybe at Uncle Trav's house.  We're even thinking about eating out so no one has to cook.  That's my kind of holiday!

Past Few Weeks

Things have been relatively calm around our house the past week or so.  I feel like I'm starting to hit my stride and bouncing back from the syndrome also known as THE NEWBORN WEEKS.  Things are definitely looking up and getting back to normal.  We've gotten back to hosting and attending playdates, and that really helps with normalcy.  The house is nowhere near getting decorated, but at least all of the boxes are unpacked.  Let me rephrase... there are a few unpacked boxes, but they are now in the garage.  Where they may stay.  For the next 10-15 years.  But oh, what treasures I'll uncover at that time!

I thought I'd just post some pictures of our past couple weeks. 

Daddy's birthday which was 4 days before Jax's... and I'm realizing I didn't do a nice birthday post for my sweetheart.  Sorry about that, dearest.  You know I love you.  I've just been a little deranged as of late.  I like this picture because it makes me flash forward about 13 years, and instead of Emerson helping her Daddy open birthday money, she's asking for some cash for the weekend.

We have a rabbit who hops through the back fence where there's a low spot, and he comes right up to the back porch under the bushes.  We have yet to name him. 

Emerson decided she'd like to coupon like her Momma one day last week.  Apparently the infant car seat was the best place to find some peace and quiet so she could file with the best of 'em. 

Then, of course, there are the many (and changing) faces of sweet Hayden.  She will be 11 weeks tomorrow, and that doesn't even seem possible.  The girl loves to coo and smile and even treated Daddy to her first little laugh.  I'll try and load the video of it before too long.  You'll see from the last picture in the set that the Van Valkenburg Chubby Baby syndrome has struck once again.  I love, love, LOVE her rolls! 

Jax and Emerson adore spending quality time on the floor with Baby Hane, giving her kisses and telling her how beautiful she is.  I caught a few sweet moments. 

And last but not least, my first room to complete will be Hayden's nursery.  It's gonna be a slow proess, but here's a sneak peek.  I'll reveal the finished product someday. 

Got Batteries?

For those of you that are local, head to Reasor's this week or take their ad and price match at Target/Walmart.  All Duracell Batteries (AA/AAA/C/D/9volt) from 2-10 count are on sale for $4.88.  Target's 8-count D packs and 4-count 9-volt packs are priced at $11.99.  Sweet deal!