Delicious Dinner

Lately, I have been getting really bored with my recipes and the same old, same old. So I have been looking in my cookbooks for something new, and came across a recipe card I received in a gift from Olive Garden. I got all the ingredients needed, and got to cookin'! OH BOY!! It was delicious!!! Kaitlyn even ate it all up saying, "Yum, yum, yum!" throughout the meal! Since it was such a big hit with my toddler, I thought I would share this easy Olive Garden recipe with you! :)

Pollo Rocca- from Olive Garden
prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
serves: 4

Ingredients:
8oz angel hair pasta (or whatever amount you want to cook)
2 Tbsps Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" strips
1/2 sun-dried tomatoes, drained, julienned
2 Tbsps minced garlic
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 medium red pepper, diced into 1/4" cubes
1/2 medium zucchini, diced into 1/2" cubes
1 cup shredded fontina cheese
2 tsps Mediterranean spiced sea salt (I just used kosher salt)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup heavy cream

Cooking Instructions:
Heat olive oil in a 10"-12" skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken strips and cook until pink is no longer visible and juices run clear- about 3 minutes each side.
Boil water for pasta in a large pot. Add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook until al dente, about 3 minutes.
Add sun-dried tomatoes and garlic to skillet with chicken.
Saute for 2 minutes.
Add the basil, red peppers, zucchini, fontina cheese, salt and pepper. Saute 1 minute.
Stir in heavy cream. Heat until bubbling throughout, stirring frequently. Salt and pepper to taste.
Drain pasta and transfer to large platter, and add the chicken and vegetables to the top of the pasta.
Serve immediately. :) mmmmm

"Hello" from Jacob

Bumbo

Jacob LOVES to sit up to see everything around him. Sometimes sitting in his bouncy seat or on the boppy pillow just doesn't cut it. So I got him a "Bumbo" seat. It is designed to help a baby sit up without Mommy's help. He looks really funny it it, but he really likes it.

Are you excited for a new seat?

Kaitlyn sat on the box, and that didn't work out

this is cool!

a special chair for me!

Making a fort

With Mommy's help, Kaitlyn loves to make a "tent" out of blankets, tables, and chairs. 

playing peek-a-boo in her tent :)

 Random dress up :)

just like Mommy, a bag hanging off the stroller handles :)

The grand tour :)

Getting ready for bed

Kaitlyn always likes to pull out a toy to put off bedtime, silly girl :)

Disney on Ice

This weekend our state fair is hosting Disney on Ice! I told Mike that I wanted to take Kaitlyn for one on one time with her, and he thought that was a great idea. I got the tickets this morning, and 2 hours later, we were at the show! I was so excited for her to see the show because I know how much she loves Mickey Mouse and all his friends. Oh... who am I kidding... I was so excited to go to the show because I love Mickey Mouse!

The arena was probably as far from the car as we could get! I thought Kaitlyn would want to walk to see Mickey, but no... I carried her the entire time! I probably walked two miles carrying a toddler- haha. I was looking forward to being in air conditioning, carrying a child and a backpack was a little hot (in 90+ degree heat). We got a sandwich to take to our seats to have lunch while we waited for the show to start.

The lights dimmed, and the show started! Kaitlyn had a cheeze-it cracker in her hand when the show started, and 10 minutes later she finally ate it. She was in awe! All our favorite Disney characters skated out, and then finally there was Mickey! I got tears in my eyes seeing how much she loved the opening act! It was so wonderful having one on one time with Kaitlyn, enjoying something we both love! It really was a great show!

Noises and smiles

Jacob has found his tongue. He is starting to make all sorts of sounds, not just grunts, which makes him sounds like a baby and not an old man :) I LOVE hearing his sounds!!!

give me a smile...

there it is!

I will have to scan a picture of Mike as a baby- this boy is a spittin' image! Maybe we should have gone with Mike Jr.? :)

Headband

My mom sent me these nice headbands, and I thought Kaitlyn would like them. She is always putting mine on, and these are much easier for her to wear than mine. Perfect for keeping little hairs out of her eyes, or perfect to dress up Bailey.

"help  me"

2 months old

Wow, two months old already! Jacob is growing great! He weighs 12 pounds 8 ounces (75%), and is 23 inches long (50-75%). The pediatrician says he looks great! Jacob did pretty good with the shots, he was a little fussy the rest of the afternoon, but seemed back to his normal self in the evening, just in time to play with Daddy.

Jacob sleeps pretty good. He usually goes to bed for the night between 8 and 9pm, then wakes up around 3am to eat, and sleeps until 7am. He, like Kaitlyn did, wakes up all smiles. During the day, he doesn't really have a normal schedule yet. He usually takes a long morning nap, then a long afternoon nap. He is still small enough that he can sleep anywhere. I can still run errands with him sleeping in his car seat. 

Jacob is wearing some 3 month clothes, and a lot of 3-6 month. We are finishing up the size 1 diapers we have, and then he'll be in 2s.

He is starting the "oral stage" where he puts everything in his mouth. The only thing right now is his fist, but that will change soon to anything he can hold. He can really kick his legs and swings his arms. It looks like he's a fish out of water :) We won't get to sit down, ever, once he is mobile. Pretty soon he will be able to roll from his back to his tummy. Jacob is such a good baby, only cries when he's hungry or hurt (like any kid). In time, we will have a very active boy, but right now he just goes with the flow.

all that kickin wore me out

"I think he's hungry"

Kaitlyn got a chance to feed Jacob, and I think she thought it was pretty cool :) He doesn't drink his milk as fast as her baby doll does- haha.

The many faces of Jacob

Jacob is almost 8 weeks old, and he is smiling often and makes sweet sounds. I tried to capture a smile on camera, and got a bunch of other silly faces... then finally success! I took a video too, just in case I didn't get a picture of his sweet smile. Enjoy the many faces of Jacob :)

where's mama?

Jacob in the Moby Wrap

getting so big :) He's wearing 3 mo. clothes

I see Daddy :)

looking at mommy above the camera

looking up to his sister :) awww :)

his sad face is about to show

no tears, back to smiles :)

there it is :) handsome boy!!

all that smiling made him sleepy :) so precious!

Next week, we go to the doctor for his 2 month appointment. He will get a round of shots... oh boy... I look forward to hearing what the pediatrician says about his weight gain. I'm pretty sure he's 13 pounds now.