All in Favor of Easy & Yummy Recipes Say, "I"!

I'll start this random blog with a funny story. Although I never had the privilege of meeting Dave's grandparents, I've heard some great stories about them, and there's one that sticks out in my mind that I thought went well with this entry. If Dave's grandmother tried her hand at a new recipe and his grandfather wasn't particularly fond of it, he would say, "It's good, but you don't have to bother making it again." HA :)

Since Dave's and my tastebuds aren't always on the same page, I was pretty excited when I tried a new recipe that Dave thought I should make again. I wouldn't consider myself a gourmet chef (a far cry, actually); however, I'm beginning to enjoy cooking more and more. The recipe I'm sharing is from "Real Simple" magazine...anyone else a big fan?! The recipe caught my eye because it said the prep time was 15 minutes - PERFECT ;-) And since I have so many other mommy blogger friends who run busy lives as well, I thought I'd share this recipe that we tried tonight:

Mediterranean Beef Pitas
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Serves 4

Shape 1 pound ground beef into 16 patties. Season with salt, pepper, and 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano. Brown over medium heat, 2 minutes per side for medium. top 4 pocketless pitas with hummus, the patties, flat-leaf parsley, and sliced red onion. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with lemon wedges.

The only thing that would make the pitas better is if we were enjoying them in the Greek Isles with a glass of wine...mmmm :)

CAUTION: Lots of Photos Ahead

My apologies for the video being sideways...I took it on my phone. Just had to get footage of our dramatic boy...do you think he's a fan of haircuts? This is why we waited 4 months in between :)

The calm AFTER the storm. One of Will's other favorite things to do is throw coins in the water, so we thought we'd take him there to help him get through the trauma of getting his haircut.

Graham loves the Bumbo

Kisses for Graham

A First of Many for Will...

...Sporting event, that is. Will doesn't have much of a choice since Dad loves sports. He asks to watch sports all the time. Aside from Will's first and immediate request when Dave walks through the door (he wants to be thrown "as high as the fan"), he'll then ask to watch sports. Currently it's basketball, prior to the b-ball season, it was of course football, and in the spring/summer, he wants to watch baseball. Thankfully, living in Omaha, we will have plenty of opportunities to take him to see all 3 sports on a frequent basis. We only live about 10 minutes from The Qwest Center, where the Creighton Bluejays play, in the summer Omaha hosts the College World Series, and of course the Huskers play in Lincoln.

Dave took Will to his first ever "real" basketball game last Saturday. He was pretty excited, and talked about it for days leading up to the event. In fact, when I took Will to the store on Thursday, he proceeded to tell the lady at the checkout that his dad was taking him to a basketball game (oh...and to get a "sprinkle donut"...yet another Saturday ritual).

That Blasted Groundhog

He saw his darn shadow, hence we have another 6 weeks of winter...as if I expected anything different! I made reference to the fact that we've had record amounts of snowfall this winter, and the trend continues. I've lost track of our snow totals this season, but I would guess it's been upwards of 40+ inches, and we still have at least another month or two to go.

At least I have a toddler and 3-month old to help pass the time. Thanks to the cold & flu season, I've spent the last week wiping runny noses, bulb-syringing stuffy noses, pumping them full of saline spray, keeping the humidifiers running 24/7, and having Graham sleep upright on my chest throughout the night because he's been so congested - ugh - I loathe winter. Although, I must admit, the snowfall this morning was beautiful.

43 days 'til Spring, but who's counting?? I've never been so ready to see green grass. If the snow doesn't melt before March 6th, at least we have a trip to Florida to look forward to. We finally rescheduled our trip to see my family...can't wait to board that plane and greet them in Destin - only 1 month away! It'll have been almost a year since I was there with Will, and Dave hasn't been since October of 2008, so we are WAY overdue! Can't wait to be with you, my wonderful family :) :) :) It'll be the first time my brothers meet Graham, so we're all looking forward to it.

In other news, I'm happy to report that Graham is officially out of the fussy baby phase and starting to get a little easier. Once he and Will are over their nasty cold/cough, my days should be a little smoother (err...hopefully).

We're in the thick of a bathroom remodel, so I've been running to and from my in-laws' house for naptime most days. The bathroom is situated smack between the boys' bedrooms and since they've been under-the-weather, I've wanted them to have quality naps, so it's been a blessing to have an alternative location to sleep. My mother-in-law has been a HUGE help during this process...thanks, Mom!!! On that note, little Graham is sleeping with her right now and I'm taking advantage of getting caught up on email and blogging!

Here's a snapshot of our last month in pictures (spending lots of time in the house, so it's a disaster):