Super Saturday with Sophia

Amy & Cory wanted to look at furniture today so Sophia came over to hang out. The girls played for a little bit when she first got here and then Gilbert put Eva down for a nap and I hung out with Sophia. We had a busy day. We played with Max & Ruby paperdolls, made brownies, played outside with a ball and picked flowers for Mom and Dad. She also wanted to help me with sweeping the floor. We had a fun day for sure - and the proof was in the fact that she fell asleep in the car about 10 minutes down the road. Come over any time Sophia!!

Paperdolls and watching Sponge Bob.

It doesn't look like she likes me, but she does:)

Cracking an egg. This girl is a pro. No shell!

Adding the oil.

Mixing.

We love chocolate!

Taste it GiGi!

Chocolate Fingers!

She loved running the water!

Helping me sweep.

I know, I know. Not good for the eyes.

Wondering why she can't get in the cage with Roxie.

Whoops. She spilled the puffs.

No problem. Sophia to the rescue!

Enjoying a meal of cheese, cheese and more cheese. She had mac & cheese, cheese puffs and shredded cheese.

Playing outside with the ball.

She's got some good skills... And tons of energy!

Observing.

This was the only strange moment of the day. She went into the corner and seemed upset - but I was not sure what she was upset about....

Picking flowers for Mommy & Daddy.

We are keeping Pancho for a few days while my parents are in Denver. He had a great time playing with us outside. That dog is crazy!

Today's Cuteness

Doggy Love

Eva LOVES Roxie and Ricco. Roxie likes playing with her, but Ricco seems to always want to go outside whenever she wants to play with him! I am very impressed with how well both dogs are with her. They allow her to pull and poke on them - and crawl in a cage with them! Today Roxie was in her cage and Eva went in there with her. Both of them seemed to have a fun time!

A little gross, but Eva loves kisses!

My Picky Eater

Eva has been going through a phase where she spits out pretty much everything we give her. The only thing she will consistently eat is pasta. So for lunch today I gave her some mac and cheese (with some ground turkey - I think she ate a few bites). She also had her choice of puffs, apple bites, little crunchies and wagon wheels. Then for dessert she enjoyed an Oreo. I hope this phase passes quickly - it makes feeding time very....challenging!

Shopping

On Thursday afternoon Eva and I joined Amy and Isaac for a little shopping. We went to Target, Children's Place & Bath & Body Works. Eva is getting to that challenging age where she doesn't want to be in the cart or the stroller - and she really doesn't want to be held either. She wants to be able to walk around on her own and grab anything that interests her. Needless to say, by the end of the day, my back and shoulders hurt and my nerves were shot. But I did enjoy hanging out with Amy & Isaac!

Isaac and Eva were pretty exhausted after the shopping excursion. I don't blame them - I could have used a nap as well:)

Easy Chicken & Pasta Dinner

Tonight I combined a bunch of things and made a great dinner. Here is my recipe - lets call it Julie's chicken pasta & garlic bread dinner. The serving size is enough for 2 adults with some leftovers.

Things you Need:
Pasta of your choice
Garlic
Butter
French or Italian Bread
Olive Oil
White Wine
Heavy Whipping Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Start a pot of water for the pasta.
Chop up 4 cloves of garlic.
Melt half a stick of butter.
Cut a loaf of French or Italian bread in half and put on a baking sheet. (I only used 1 half - to use all the bread, double the butter and add another clove of garlic)
Combine half of the garlic with the melted butter and spread on the bread. Drizzle some olive oil on top and put in the oven.
Once your water is boiling add your pasta and cook according to the package directions. Make sure you add a lot of salt to your boiling water.
Start a small pan over medium heat and add some olive oil. Once hot, brown the rest of the garlic. Add 1/4 cup white wine and let reduce - takes about a minute or so. Note about wine - I used an opened bottle that had been in my fridge for over a week and it was still fine. And another note - never use a wine for cooking that you wouldn't drink! Once reduced add 1/4 cup heave whipping cream. Season with some salt and reduce to simmer. Allow to thicken.
While everything is working, take a store bought rotisserie chicken and shred.
Once the pasta is done, drain the water and return to the pot. Add the sauce and half of the shredded chicken. You can also add some Parmesan cheese.
Keep an eye on the bread. I turned up the heat for the last few minutes to 415 degrees to get it nice and crispy.

I took the rest of the chicken and added some bbq sauce and heated. We will be having bbq chicken sandwiches for lunch tomorrow:)

Enjoy!

Thunder Over Louisville

Dad was able to get tickets through his work for Thunder Over Louisville. For those reading this blog that are out of state, Thunder Over Louisville is the big kick-off to the Kentucky Derby. The day is filled with air shows (which were pretty impressive, although a bit loud) and then a huge fireworks display at night. There are 2 barges of fireworks and fireworks that go off one of the bridges that cross the Ohio River. The fireworks show is the largest in North America and is pretty impressive. They estimated that over 700,000 people attended the event! Which is why the tickets to a reserved area, free parking and free were the only way to go! Thanks Dad for a great time! And thanks to Cory for getting us home in record time!!

We arrived around 5 and Eva took a nap during the air show. Then she fell asleep not too long after the fireworks started at 9:30. This girl can seriously sleep through anything (wonder where she got that from?)

Sophia enjoying popcorn with Pardie.

Trying my sunglasses on for size.

Gilbert handles the girls so well! And the girls were really good considering there was a lot of time to kill before the fireworks!

Words can not describe how lovely this is.

Nice, but not as fun.

Walking around.

Playing with the glowstick.

Payback Photo #1. And I think this one is pretty tame.

Not the best of quality - taken with Gilbert's cell phone.

Playing Bouncy with Daddy

I had one of those moments today when I realized how big Eva is getting. She looks so grown up in this outfit. I am happy for her new found independence, but sad at the same time. Time really does fly by...

Zoo

Today we went to the zoo with my sister, Sophia and Isaac. It was a beautiful day and many others had the same idea! Sophia had a lot of fun looking at the animals and Eva seemed to enjoy it as well. Taking little ones to the zoo is exhausting! But so worth it!

Sophia was so good at waiting her turn!

Is that a giraffe coming out of the top of Gilbert's head?

The Cissells

The fun crew

Whee!!