Disneyland!

Life has been crazy around here. I feel like I can barely keep up with the laundry and grocery shopping, let alone this lil blog... But I will not give up. I know I will never be a post every day or even every week kinda girl but I'm just trying to document the little things we do and milestones we pass as life zips by. 

Ily has been growing and changing so fast. She hit 2 and life has gotten so fun. She is such a little spunky girl. SO outgoing and literally knows no stranger. We were at the park today and there was no one there and she looks around and goes "Momma, where's my friends?" She forces other kids to hold her hand so that she can boss them around... she is a firstborn for sure! 

Anywhoo.. She got the Cinderella Dvd from her grandma for her birthday and the first time I put it in she sat and watched every single minute. She was in LOVE. She cannot get enough. I have to literally tell her, sorry no brella today.... (She calls her Brella) otherwise we would be watching that movie 4 times a day. She knows the songs by heart and makes me put them on so she can dance in her Brella dress and glass "sliplers". Dan got home from a presentation at Grad School (yes dan is in grad school ahhhhhhh!) and he was dressed in a nice suit and she goes "oh daddy!!! you a prince?! please dance with me?". I literally almost died. She is seriously NOT my kid. I was playing soccer, playing in the mud and while I liked playing with baby dolls, this obsession thing just wasn't me. I am not fostering it at all but she just seems to LOVE it and I know it's a phase that I will look back on and smile :) I guess Dan was more like this as a kid. He was super into Indiana Jones and had the hat, the whip, and the Jean jacket and his mom said he wore it for like 2 years. haha Wish me LUCK! 

All that said, I knew I just had to take her to Disneyland before the new babe came... and I am getting HUGE, so I knew it had to be soon. We just finished potty training and she is sleeping in her big girl bed so I had to get this one last thing checked off my list :) Dan called in sick and so did my whole fam... They have been wanting to take her forever, and they are obsessed with her haha. We went last Thursday and the kid hasn't stopped talking about it since. Every morning since, she will call me to come get her from her bed and says "momma lets snuggle and talk" and we go through every ride and thing she saw... She didn't like the pirates ride "a little bit scary momma, I get wet"... LOVED the tiki room... and seeing Brella was basically the highlight. I cannot wait to meet this lil man kicking around inside of me, but I am sure going to miss my one on one time with Ily girl. She is seriously funny, and I cannot wait to see or hear what she does next! 

ps. She insisted on wearing her heels and dress all day. She had huge blisters on her feet after hah. 

The best salad dressing EVER.

Ok so ever since getting into Weston a. Price and ordering food from the amish co-op (yes people think I am nuts....) I have been searching high and low for good recipes that include whole healthy ingredients and not processed junk. A lot of recipes I adapt and change but  my friend Katelyn is the queen of health everything and I ask her WAY too many questions about homeopathic remedies for Ily and for yummy recipes. She has always had a passion for cooking and food, even before she learned about how to eat traditionally, and always hands me down really amazing recipes.

This dressing will BLOW your mind, health nut or not, I promise you will love it. I could quite literally drink it. hahaha
I usually put it on a cobb like salad, Spinach, boiled eggs, red onion and amish bacon :) but you could put it on anything really.

 

Black Sesame Seed Dressing
-It will keep in the fridge for a while but it will thicken and get solid so maybe take it out and let it sit for a while before using it. Or it will last up to 2-2.5 weeks in the pantry...just smell it 

2 cups olive oil (I start out with the 2 cups, but sometimes add a little more at the end in case I added to much lemon or soy sauce--I'm bad at measuring stuff)
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar (Braggs is best)
1/3 c. unpasturized soy sauce (Shoya is best)
2-3 tbs. Lemon juice
1/2-1/3 c. black sesame seeds
1 tbs. or 2 nuggets of fresh ginger
5-6 cloves of garlic
I sometimes add a little salt and pepper after blending it through once and then blend it for like 3 seconds more...just depending on the taste.

So you can totally just put everything in the Vitamix and blend it up or you can do everything but the olive oil and add that slowly thru the little hole on top. A normal blender works too, but takes a little longer to blend up the seeds. It turns a dark green color once the seeds are all blended and the olive oil emulsifies.

Its super healthy for you so don't be chinsy 

My baby is 2?!

I cannot believe my baby girl is 2. It goes by so fast. Everyone I know tells me that but it really is true. I feel like just yesterday I was holding this little newborn, totally unsure about motherhood, and now I am potty-training and pregnant with a new little life.

For ily's 2nd birthday we decided to do a small party with just her friends and immediate family. We rented a bounce house (TOTAL hit) and did donuts, bagels and coffee. It was so fun to hear her talk about her party for weeks afterwards. She kept saying "party momma, I two." Makes it all worth it.

Enjoying her birthday donut :) 

remind me to NEVER make a pinata again. SO time consuming. 

playing in the pool with her new surfboard from Evy.

and her new princess outfits, if we are home, heels and skirt are required. 

Grammy made her a new fort under the coffee table. She will steal an iphone and sit under there like a teenager... scary. 

Back at it

After a long, long blogging silence, I decided to get back on the wagon..... better late than never right??
The main reason I have this blog as a way to keep in touch with all my college friends and to watch their blogs and families grow in pictures too. But I also have it as a way to look back and see all that has happened in our family and would love to have a spot where Ily can look back too. I am ashamed to say it will be a spotty memory book so far... but I am doin my best.

Bloem Hill has really taken off, probably faster than any of us realized and between that blog, this blog, being a momma, working for Panera Bread Corporate, and trying just to keep up on laundry... life has been crazy. This has most definitely been the hardest and best year of my life so far. God is stretching me through many tough tough trials but He is also blessing me so much along the way. Getting to watch Ily grow in front of my eyes is just over the top amazing... I recently had a miscarriage in February. One of the most difficult things to go through, but God is so faithful and good in all of it. He just continues to remind me to count my blessings one by one, and the minute I do, I can honestly say I have nothing to complain about. I just don't know how people do life without the Lord, I would be a druggie or a alcoholic or just plain mean. Ha.

Here is a picture update of My blessings :)

Found This old baby Carrier I had when I was little. She is a good little mommy!

Hanging with her BF Frankie 

Sneak at our table for The Cream Event in LA. 

She loves her shades. 

We had to go in 3 time outs while playing with baby brooklyn... She bit her! I was so embarrassed to say the least!!! 

catching a ride on the vacuum.

A-t-t-i-T-U-D-E!

The beach is why we will never move. 

The obsession with wearing other peoples shoes continues....

Poor Jack.