Showers in the forecast!

Ever since I got married, I have been waiting (somewhat impatiently) for one of my friends to get married or have a baby so I can plan them a shower! Well, my time has finally come- times two! 

My (Jon's) brother and sister-in-law are expecting a baby, and are due in December. I am so excited for them! Won't they have a gorgeous baby?

My old roommate and sorority sister from college is getting married! She planned my baby shower and bachelorette party and I can't wait to pay it forward.

I'm ready to start collecting some ideas! I've got a few up my sleeve, but does anyone have any resources, websites, pictures or blogs for shower ideas? Non-lame game ideas? 

Well, crap.

Remember last weekend I mentioned that I was going to sign up for a membership to the YMCA so we could go to the pool this summer? Well, I did it! But now I need to find swim suit. (Read: A swim suit for my not-so-fabulous post-baby-bod.) Before Cameron was even born, I was determined to get into a cute polka dot bikini come summertime. My goal was to lose all the weight by May. And I did- I'm even a few lbs under! The problem, my friends, are the awesome stretch marks that are still hanging around, uninvited. A tankini, it is. 

I've been perusing various websites for the perfect tankini. I checked out Lands End, as I've heard they have a nice selection. And they do- if you are 50+ years old. I may be a mom, but I'm not quite ready for the "mom" swimsuit just yet. Next stop, Victoria's Secret.com. Bad idea, Leslie. Just like watching the 2008 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at the hospital when you're in labor, 2 weeks overdue. Very bad idea. Those girls make the ugliest swimming suits look smashing. Last stop, Old Navy.com. When I was in the store the other day, the selection was picked over from Memorial Day shoppers, but I managed to find a size I fit into, and the prices were great. So I went online, and to my surprise I found styles and patterns I didn't see in the stores at even lower prices! Score. Here's what should be arriving at my doorstep in a few days:

Mix & Match, 12.50

Mix & Match bottoms 12.50

Mix & Match halter 12.50

Mix & Match hipster 3.99

What do you think? Not horrible, right? I think I can make these work!

If only every weekend were a 3 day holiday weekend...

...a gorgeous, 3 day-holiday weekend. We spent almost the entire weekend outdoors- the weather was perfect to say the least. I attended a beautiful outdoor wedding, and got quite a bit done off of my weekend to-do list (pictures to come in a later post). Jon got in some quality fishing time and spent some serious hours in front of the grill. On Memorial Day, we went to an Indian Motorcycle Grand Opening, and got to see Rhett Rotten ride his motorcycle on the Wall of Death. Definitely a highlight of our weekend! A few pics to share:

Rhett Rotten on the Wall of Death!

My niece Audra

My niece Corinne

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! If you are like me, Memorial weekend is always the start of a very busy 3 months- lots of weddings, birthdays, and BBQ's- and that's definitely going to hold true this summer! 

Weekend to-do list.

1. Staining the spindles on the back deck to a darker shade. Jon asked if I was truly up to such a tedious task. I said yes, but I can't guarantee my answer won't change. Pictures to come!
2. Picking up some furniture for mom's Living Room. Perhaps I'll take a teaser photo of the progress?
3. Attending a wedding for my friend Kate.
4. Designing some preliminary wedding invites for my friend Carly. 
5. Saturday evening BBQ with mi familia.
6. Signing up for a YMCA membership. I caught a coupon in today's newspaper for a $4 joiner fee (regularly $50)! I can't wait to take Cameron swimming this summer!
7. Lots of eating. We're talking juicy steaks, hot links and cold beverages with little pink umbrellas. We don't take holidays lightly around here- and it's supposed to be gorgeous all weekend!

Have a Happy Memorial weekend! Anyone have any cool plans?

Just for grandma.

So my mom got back from Hawaii a few weeks ago, and she brought tons of goodies back for us. Cameron definitely got spoiled with some cool Hawaiian gear, and today he sported his new Hawaiian shirt at church! The weather was perfect here today, so I took some pictures of Cameron. Mahalo, grandma! Next time you go, we'll have to join you!

My life = a series of un-blogworthy events.

I think that sums it up quite nicely. Sometimes I ask myself  "Does anyone really give a hoot about my boring little life? About my random ramblings and thoughts?" Eh, probably not. Sometimes I think this blog might fall off the face of the world wide web if it weren't for my uber-cute son. =) It's nice that in an attempt to keep regular posts coming, I can insert a few pics of him, and presto! out comes a new entry. In case you might be wondering, this is going to be one of those posts, okay?

Yesterday we went to the River Fest, a 9-day festival of food, events and concerts in dowtown Wichita. I had been craving a funnel cake all week, and I finally convinced Jon to take me to get one. Dad let Cameron take a few slurps of the Cherry Icee. They tried hiding that fact from me, but it was pretty evident by the red slobber all over Cameron's face and shirt!

We were going to see if Cam would like to ride some of the little horses they had there, but he wasn't having it. He started to get pretty fussy, probably because it was about 85 degrees and awfully humid. Makes for a sweaty little baby!

Blogging.

I tell you what. Blogging has led me to "meet" some of the coolest, most talented, and sweet people. The thing is, I've never even met anyone of them in real life. It's strange, because you essentially follow their lives, and it gives you a sense that you know them. If you follow for awhile, you share their pain and joy. 

One of my fellow blogging friends (whom I almost met!) is getting a baby placed in her and her husband's home today. Their hope is to adopt the baby. I admire her so much for putting her faith in God and trusting his masterplan. I've been tagging along through her journey, and I honestly couldn't be more happy for someone I've never met. Congrats Erin and Heath- you two will make beautiful and loving parents! 

P.S- I have a link to her blog (Dr. Erin) on the side. Stop by and congratulate them!

Cameron- 5 months

Cameron is 5 months old today! It's hard to believe he's nearly halfway to one year! We are finding ourselves scrambling to construct a baby gate for the stairs in the next week; Cameron is quickly making his way around the house these days! I used to be able to leave him on his playmat for 5-10 minutes while I did laundry or swept the floor. Now, he'll be across the room in a matter of minutes. Life with him is awesome. I can say that he just gets so much more fun each and every day! He's developing quite a cute little personality. He is very squirmy. He is always kicking his legs, and wiggling when you hold him, never still unless he's tired.

Cameron is also very "squealy." He is rarely quiet, unless we're outside where he just soaks it all in.

He has so many facial expressions and is always laughing and smiling!

He is definitely not a picky eater! He has loved every veggie and fruit he has tried. Today he inhaled a little green bean pack in record time- about 4 minutes. He gets mad when we don't feed him fast enough.

We think he'll definitely be crawling soon. He's getting up on all fours, rocks back and forth and then propels himself foward, often taking a hard nose dive straight into the carpet. Most times he finds it pretty amusing, but the other day he dove straight into his changing table and got a pretty big bump on his head to show for it.

Cameron still doesn't really like his baths. I think he'll like it better when he's able to completely sit up on his own, but right now we still bathe him in his infant tub, which he is just too long for. 

Funday Sunday!

It's been super busy around our house lately! Jon has been very busy with work and has been out of town several times in the past few weeks. I've been wanting to get in the garden and spruce things up, but with him being gone, and having record amounts of rain in April, it just hasn't left me anytime to dig around. While today wasn't particularly a nice day, it wasn't raining either, so I figure I had better get in there and plant some of the goodies I got the other day.

When I was at the florist 2 years ago getting bouquets ready for our wedding, I walked in, brought the color swatch from my bridesmaids dresses, and told her I wanted a flower that was similar in color. I never saw any of the bouquets until the day of the wedding (crazy, right?), but the florist couldn't have done a better job picking out the most beautiful arrangement, especially when I told her I wasn't picky and didn't care too much what they looked like! Anyway, I fell in love with the flower and have been wanting to plant them in my own garden ever since that day. I've been having a tough time finding them, but I stumbled upon them this weekend at Lowe's with my mom. And the best part? They were 50% off. So I bought every last one they had!

 

It's somewhat hard to see from these photos, but it's the purple flower, or blue agapanthus. The flower is native to South Africa, and means "love" from agape. **The white flower is an oriental lily. 

 

Getting dirrty in the garden. My nephew Timmy wanted to be in the picture.

Cameron helped!

Me and the Cam man.

Easy Cheesy Chimichangas!

I've never shared a recipe on my blog until now, but I've made these chimichangas a few times and decided they were too good not to pass on. And heck, with Cinco de Mayo coming up, you can make these, invite your friends over and have a little fiesta. I promise they'll be impressed (especially if you whip up some margaritas). 

I made this recipe up after having grilled chimichangas at a local Mexican joint, and I have to say that I think my version is better! You'll see that this recipe is far from "authentic" Mexican; the rice is directly from a box, and I didn't make my own tortillas.  If you feel adventurous enough to make your own tortillas or rice, be my guest! 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
  
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 package grated cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend
• 1 box cheesy Mexican rice (I used Old el Paso brand)
• 5-6 burrito sized flour tortillas
• Salsa, sour cream, queso or other toppings you like

Start by preparing the rice according to the package directions. Brown the beef, and add in the taco seasoning. Set aside until the rice is done.

Lay out the tortillas and begin by dividing the rice between 5-6 tortillas. Add a handful of cheese on top of the rice, and finish by adding the beef on top of the cheese, dividing it between your tortillas. 

Fold in the sides of the tortillas, and then roll them up. Place the seam side down into a buttered skillet on medium heat. Butter the top (go ahead and make Paula Dean proud) of the chimichangas, and carefully flip them when the bottom side has browned. Brown that side and they are ready to eat! I like them with sour cream and queso on top. Enjoy!

Though I haven't tried it, I think you could substitute shredded chicken in place of ground beef and they would be excellent. 

It's 7:40 am and Cameron is still sleeping! In his crib!
Usually we put Cam down for the night by 7:00 pm, and he will wake at about 2:00 am for a feeding and again at about 6:00 when I'll just bring him into bed with us for another hour of snoozing. But for the past 4 nights, he hasn't woken up until 4:00 am to feed, and then he will go right back down until about 7. And here it is, almost 8:00am and he's still sleeping. I'm loving this!