Mommy's take us to the zoo tomorrow... well today

This morning when I went in to get JH out of his room I told him we were going to the ZOO... he got so excited he started to jump up and down. So we got our clothes on, teeth brushed, our handy dandy directions and off we went. We met my friend Andrea (who went to Asbury) and her two kiddos Callie and Tycen. Let me just say, I knew her in college but thanks to this wonderful blogging world felt like I have known her forever... how fun is that!

Anyway, the kids had a great time. The weather was great... and to be honest, it was good for my soul to see a familiar face in an unfamilar state. We stayed for a couple of hours, went to the dolphin show, saw the lions, tigers, and bears, OH MY... and then headed home. I am loving living in a city where you can wake up, go to the zoo, come home for lunch, nap, and the rest of your day... how cool is that!

So here are a few pics from our Friday Fun day.... Thanks for the invite Andrea, can't wait to play again soon:)
John Hunter and Callie looking at the horses....

Getting ready to watch the Dolphin Show... which by the way was my favorite part!
In the tunnel underneath the dolphin show... how cool is it that there is a dolphin RIGHT there... John Hunter thought it was soooooo cool!

What a great day we had at the zoo....THANK YOU GOD for all your amazing animals!

Potty Training Day #2

So we are officially on day 2 of potty training however I am still of the belief that although diapers can be expensive... they are SO MUCH easier! Yesterday was a good day... we only had 1 accident. Today has been good so far, however we did POO in our Pull Up so that was not fun. We have the cutest baseball potty seat you have ever seen and I made a really cool jar full of M&M's as a reward... but I am still a fan of the Pampers:)

Although the little Mister looks so cute sporting his Lighting McQueen "underwareS" as he calls them, I thought I would list the reasons potty training is for the birds...

1) Another person pee to clean up off the floors at my house (HUSBAND and 2 dogs)
2) The laundry will increase
3) Constant reminding of going to the potty
4) No more putting those sweet little white onesies under ALL his outfits
5) Another step away from my little baby... oh well, guess we will start thinking about #2 (MAYBE.... we should have 1 house and all of our belongings in one state before we think about a sibling????)

Oh well... I will keep you posted on Potty Time at the White House!

Praying for Baby Stellan

Today Baby Stellan went in for surgery at the Children's Hospital in Boston! This poor family has been on my heart:) So everyone was supposed to wear orange today... we did not, but we sent in this picture of John Hunter in orange.... if you want to keep up with her blog check it out here! I am sure all prayers would be appreciated!

Gym, Gym, and More Gym

Today I got up and went to the gym with and head and heart full and ready to go. I have been listening to some amazing music during my workout and it has been such a place of peace for me:) While I was working out John Hunter played in the gym area for kiddos:) I showered and got ready there and it was REALLY nice to not have to get ready with 2 yellow labs and a 2 year old... so some mommy time was greatly appreciated!

After the gym we went to John Hunter gym's, which we kept calling "gymnastics". He absolutely LOVED it. And it was a guaranteed good nap! We met some friends from MOPS there and it was great to have some playtime and some Mommy time. We will for sure be back to the "My Gym" and if there is one in your area I would HIGHLY recommend you check it you. At least for the "pay to play" which is ONLY $5.

After nap we had an appointment for getting our hair did:) We went to Cookies Cutters and John Hunter loved it. He started out by picking his movie "Barney Sing Along" and this his "ride" a tractor! He did really good and I was please with the final product!



Since Daddy is AWAY we treated ourselves to our favorite Mexican resturant... dessert and ALL! What a fun way to end a day that started out at the gym!

Buffalo Chicken Pot Pie

I made this yummy for dinner tonight and thought i would post for those who were interested:)

Buffalo Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 3 stalks celery, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup hot sauce (add more if you want more of a kick!)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 boxes cornbread mix, such as Jiffy brand
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup of milk
• 1 cup crumbled bleu cheese

Yields: 6 servings

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375º F.

Heat 2 tablespoons of EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped chicken chunks and sauté them on both sides until golden brown. Remove chicken chunks from skillet and reserve on a plate.

Add another 2 tablespoons of EVOO, the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the same skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 5-6 minutes.

While the veggies are cooking start the sauce: In a medium-size sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat then stir in the flour and cook until light brown, about 1 minute. Whisk the chicken stock and hot sauce into the butter/flour mixture and bring it to a boil. Simmer the gravy until thickened, 2-3 minutes.

Return the reserved chicken chunks to the skillet with the cooked vegetables and add the gravy, stirring to combine. Transfer everything to a 9x11" casserole dish and set aside while you prepare the topping.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, prepare the cornbread according to package directions. Stir the blue cheese crumbles into the cornbread mixture and drop spoonfuls of the batter onto the top of the casserole, covering it completely.

Bake the pot pie until the cornbread is baked through and the filling is hot, 20-30 minutes.

Proud to be an American

Uncle Matt is on American soul and we could not be more thrilled. He shipped off in September and he has been greatly missed. Now we are just counting down the days till we get to spend some time with him. His ship USS Sullivan's docked yesterday and my MIL Vicky and SIL Sarah were there to greet him, along with his girlfriend (whom I have never met...)

Matt we are so proud of you, we love you, and we look forward to seeing you soon. When we ask John Hunter what he wants to do with Unc he says, "play tennis, baseball, football, basket"hoops", and hockey!" So get your sports bag together.... we will see you soon!!

***** PS.. this is a picture that Aunt Sarah took of the ship coming in...
how proud does it make you to see all those young men and women in white... anxious to get home to the Land of the Free and the Home of the BRAVE????*****

A few days home...

John Hunter and I went home for a few days this week and we had a great time. We got to see some friends and spent some good time with Gigi and Granddad. Also, I spent a LOT of money on different doctors. I had a crown put on (not the princess one) on Thursday... and THIS morning I was eating a biscuit and it fell out.... NO GOOD!

We have had a few busy days at home here and tomorrow we have RAIN coming so we will be missing the sunshine. We also have a birthday party after church tomorrow:)

I am so sleepy so I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves!

Ok so this picture above might need some explanation... Carson ran out of the play area in Fayette Mall all the way down by J Crew.... AHH... this is Jen retrieving him:) Like we have ALWAYS said... it needs a gate!