A week in review...

It has been a while since I have had time to sit and catch up on what all has been happening. We had a crazy week last week, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down much this week. Since my last post we have:

• stayed with Bob and Nancy for a week
• played with Mandy
  
• gotten pedicures/manicures before wedding weekend
  
• eaten bridesmaid lunch at Benihana (a favorite of mine!)
  
• rehearsed for the wedding (with the craziest church wedding coordinator I have ever worked with)
  
• married off Sarah Dorsey (and survived the antics of "Viv")
  
• given baby Grace to Jesus
  
• celebrated the dedication with a BBQ
• moved back into our home
• sent Mandy back to Colorado
• started "Motherwise" Bible study at Beaverton Foursquare

I'll try to post pictures and more details about a few of the above events, but consider this the cliff notes of the past week.

Manicures/pedicures at La Belle nails in LO. Very nice and relaxing. Rehearsing at Zion Lutheran in Portland... if I only had a picture of Viv to post.

Getting hair and make up done at Julie's house. Cara was official photographer of the morning. Julie did a great job with every one's makeup and Brittany did fabulous up-dos for us all!

Sarah - leaving Julie's and heading to the church.

Tiffany, Beka, Sarah, Hannah (that is me).Dorsey and Charles (and yes, I will still call her Dorsey)

Ella and Gracie.

Ella was a FABULOUS flower girl, and was absolutely beautiful. She was able to wear the dress that Maleah wore in my wedding. Gracie didn't quite fit into Ella's dress from my wedding, so we borrowed this little white and brown dress from Sophia. I have a few funny Ella quotes from the weekend to share. Disclaimer: I wasn't a witness to every one of these, so I might not be getting them word for word.

Prior to the wedding, when Ella was very excited to be a flower girl and about how beautiful she was needed her mom to remind her to remember that today was all about Sarah Dorsey. Ella responded, "Is it a little about me?"

After the wedding, while sitting in the bridal party room, Ella looked at me as said, "Hannah, didn't Dorsey do terrific?"

At the reception Ella ran up to my dad and said, "Bob, Bob guess what... Dorsey got married. Her name is Sarah. Sarah Brownlee."

Also at the reception while I was eating a handful of m&m's (there was a candy bar for people to snack from at the reception - fabulous idea if you ask me) anyway, Ella said, "Hannah, you can have candy or you can have cake. I choose cake."

She cracks me up!

Reception food. I am kicking myself for not getting a picture of the cake table. I haven't ever been involved in a wedding and had a baby with me, so I was a bit distracted and didn't take a lot of pictures.

Me, Dorsey and Mandy

All in all it was a great day. I think it was just what Dorsey and Charles had in mind. The food were good, friends were fun, day was beautiful. Not sure what more we could have asked for.

Farmer in the dell...

Yesterday morning Shannon, Sophia, Marisa, Sydney, Gracie and I all decided (well, the grown-ups did most of the deciding) to head to the Portland farmer's market. The other four picked Gracie and I up and we headed out.
After a quick stop at the ATM (let's be honest, Starbucks too) we were really off.
All three girls were sitting in a row in the back seat of the pilot. Sydney and Soph seemed to handle this okay...
...Gracie on the other hand, well, that's a different story. (For the rest of the story on getting to the farmer's market, read Shannon's blog!)
When we (finally) arrived downtown, got the screaming children (well, actually one child who shall remain nameless) out of the car, the market was in full gear. I am the person who has to see EVERYTHING before buying any one thing, so we did a "lap" through the park, sat to feed the babies, walked through the park blocks for exercise, then headed back to gather our merchandise. By the time we got back the market had been picked through, and some of what we wanted was gone (spinach, corn, garlic pesto... lesson learned - buy early!). Poor Sydney was exhausted, but refused to sleep. She rested while we walked, and when we sat again for the three adults to eat, she perked up and shard some of my challah bread.

We did end up with a lot of great stuff... squash, berries, tomatoes, zucchini, bread, cheese, and LOADS of fresh flowers. They were irresistible!
Once we ate lunch, we packed up and headed back to the Coleman's house for nap time. I think we all could have used a nap, but only the three little ones succeeded.
Gracie was out and took a whole nap looking like this - it was pretty funny.
Sophia fell asleep in her car seat too, but woke up when she rocked forward and slid out. This is a somewhat common thing for Soph, so it wasn't really a shock to find her is this awkward position.
After naps the babies played on the floor while Syd enjoyed a dinner for fresh farmer's market goods. Sophie was kind enough to share space on her blanket, and give Gracie kisses as she laid there.

(1/2 of) The lost is now found...

Hooray, the church found my missing bible! I am so excited to have it back!

Unfortunately, Merrick's is still missing. We do have hope, though, because they were together and if mine turned up, his is bound to turn up at some point. We'll just have to keep praying.

Double down...

I forgot to mention in my previous post that we weighed Gracie the other day and she is almost double her birth weight. What a chunk! It is amazing how different she seems to be everyday. One of her new favorite things to do is to watch her "guys" while she lays in her swing. The monkey, toucan and leopard rotate as she swings back and forth... she loves it.
Another new trick is her amazing ability to un-swaddle herself from any wrapping - even the infamous "miracle blanket." She still really likes being swaddled, and sleeps best that way, but she also really loves having her hands up by her face... oh the dilemma.
I think I mentioned that our couches were delivered this past weekend. We have guests staying at our house this week, so we aren't home enjoying them, but we are SO happy just knowing they are there. We love them!
This is a close up of the pattern on the couch - it is hard to get the true color in a photo, but this gives you a slightly better idea of what the fabric looks like.
This last picture is of the onesies that my friends made for Gracie at our shower. Aren't they fun? (PS, you can click on this picture to see it bigger and enjoy the details of people's creativity!)

Amazing Grace...

Here is a quick video of Gracie just hanging out in her grandpa Bob's office. Nothing fancy, but hopefully will show a little of her personality that you can't capture in still photots to those who don't get to see her enough (or ever). She is developing more and more everyday and we are loving her smiles and her unique little baby language that she uses frequently.

This video is of Gracie about ready to fall asleep for an afternoon nap... there are a few more smiles (and bubbles) in this clip.

Party animal...

Well, this weekend absolutely flew by. Granted, we had many activities to fill our time, but it seemed as if I blinked and now it is Sunday night. Wow!

Friday we spent with the day at the Coleman's gearing up for Syd's first birthday party. Shannon, Sophie, Gracie and I ran errands with Marisa to get last minute party food and other supplies. We were doing great... until we got to Party City to have the pink balloons filled. Now, I am not sure how many of you have ever filled balloons with helium, but I think we can all agree that it is a pretty quick process. Well, this time it wasn't quick - AT ALL! I opted to stay in the car with sleepy babies while Shan and Marisa "ran" in. After 20 minutes had passed I thought the rapture must have happened because they were no where to be seen. It honestly took almost 25 minutes to get the 15 balloons filled - fifteen! So, after that fiasco, we headed home to ice cupcakes, cut fruit and veggies and hang decorations.

At 6 p.m. the guests started to arrive and the party began. Drew (with Matt's help) made delicious burgers and chicken. We had a great BBQ dinner- and the rain even held off all night! We had fun spending time with the Coleman's family and meeting some of their friends that we didn't yet know.

We discovered that Gracie is quite the party animal!

I think she was sad because her other food was cleared in order for her to have a cupcake...

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear SYDNEY!"

Digging in... Marisa found a recipe for a pina colada muffin and we frosted with cream cheese and plain yogurt frosting - no sugar at all, and she LOVED it!

The three amigos (Gracie, Sophia, Sydney)

The party kids... Gracie, Sophie, Josiah, Sydney, and Ella

Gracie sure didn't know what all the fuss was for... she was pretty content to just hang out on the couch while the other babies fussed and squirmed.

So, Friday was busy, but we had a BLAST!

Saturday I did a lot of little things around the house - finishing up projects, cleaning, laundry, etc... We had to be home for the afternoon because our furniture was being delivered sometime between 2:17 and 4:47 p.m. No joke, that was the scheduled time they gave us. Merrick spent the day getting ready for his trip, so it was nice to have time at home semi-relaxing.

On Saturday evening Gracie and I headed to our 2nd party of the weekend... Sarah Dorsey's bachelorette party. (I told you, she's a party animal). Julie put on a great party, and it was fun to get out with a new group of girls for some fun on the town. We started at Julie's place in NW Portland, headed down to 21st for pedicures and manicures, and then to a great dinner at Serrattos.

Today after church, Merrick, Gracie and I headed to the third party of the weekend. (Yep, number 3!) The birthing and newborn class that we were in had a reunion so we could meet all the babies and reconnect with each other to share stories, etc. Only about 1/2 of the families were there, but it was fun to meet all the little babies.

So, there you have it. We are exhausted, and Merrick is on a plane headed to San Jose for a conference. I am staying with my folks for the week so our house is free for the Dorsey's to use prior to the wedding (next Saturday!). It is looking like we have another crazy week ahead - but it makes for good blogging. =)

Good enough to eat...

I don't consider myself a fancy or creative cook (I'll be honest, I would be happy with tacos every night of the week), but every once in a while I find fun and delicious recipes and am inspired to cook a fancier meal. Tonight we ended up with Thai pumpkin chicken satay and veggie skewers, coconut sticky rice, & chocolate chip pumpkin muffins! It was delicious.

Here are the recipes in case anyone else would like to try...

Thai Pumpkin Satay
1 cup pure pumpkin
2/3 cup evaporated milk (I substituted soy milk to make it dairy-free)
1/3 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter (I used chunky)
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I think I used 1/2 teaspoon at least!)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces (I had lots of sauce left over, so you could probably do even more chicken)
Veggies (I used green onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini)
Skewers

Place all ingredients (except the chicken) in blender or food processor; cover. Blend until smooth. Place chicken in medium bowl, add desired amount of sauce (reserving some for dipping - I put about 1 cup on the chicken and saved 1 cup... didn't need that much for dipping), cover. Marinate in refrigerator, stirring occasionally, for at least one hour. Thread chicken and veggies onto skewers. Discard extra marinade. Grill or broil for 10 minutes, turning once, for 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Heat the reserved pumpkin sauce and serve with satay.



Coconut Sticky Rice
3 cups sticky rice
2 cups coconut milk
1/2-3/4 cup palm sugar or brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Cook sticky rice according to package directions. Place coconut milk in a heavy pot and heat over medium heat until hot. Do not boil. Add sugar and salt and stir to dissolve. When rice is done, turn out into a bowl and pour 1 cup of the hot coconut milk over, reserving the rest. Stir to mix liquid into rice. Let stand 20 minutes to 1 hour.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 36 muffin cups or line with paper bake cups. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Combine eggs and sugar in large bowl. Add pumpkin and oil; mix well. Stir in flour mixture until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes.

*I halved this recipe and made 12 muffins. I did a few without chocolate chips and they were just as good!

Thankful Thursday...

The three things (ok, people) I am thankful for this week are...
1. Kristen
2. Marisa
3. Shannon

These three fabulous ladies have been "staples" in my life lately. We have been spending a lot of time together hanging out, and doing tons of scrapbooking. Okay, really we just get together, make a huge mess, and accomplish nothing. Our husbands don't get us, but we have a blast.

Last weekend these girls threw an amazing baby shower for Gracie and I. It was fabulous - and so great to catch up with many of my college friends and roommates! Everything was perfect. Since it is my favorite, they even made Thanksgiving food for lunch - except it was all finger food. (Shannon's husband, Matt, made everything!!!) It was delicious.

The menu included figs stuffed with hazelnuts wrapped in bacon (those were amazing!) roasted turkey, rolls, cranberry & mustard sauces, stuffing cakes, gravy, twice baked potatoes, sweet potato fries (with another dipping sauce), steamed asparagus & green beans with a green bean casserole dipping sauce, and individual pumpkin pies! I don't have many other pictures because most were taken with other people's cameras. Hopefully I'll get some copies at some point in time to share.

Along with the three listed friends, I am so thankful for the other girl friends that I have in my life. Saturday was a special day for Gracie and I.

A little cleaner...

Since we are getting new furniture, and our downstairs is virtually empty, we thought it would be a good time to borrow my parent's big carpet cleaner. Why do they own one you ask? Well, up until last summer they had an old, in-door and incontinent dog... enough said.

I just finished shampooing our carpets. I am always amazed at how disgusting the liquid is that you pull out... and this was after a few rounds. Yuck!
I think the finished product is worth the effort. I might do one more round tomorrow morning, but if I don't get to it, I think I am happy with the outcome.

And in related news, our furniture is here! We got a call last night saying that it was finished and ready to be picked up or delivered. Now that the carpets are cleaned, I can call to schedule delivery. I can't wait to have our new couches. Since we had the "custom" made, we were told it would be 10-12 weeks. Last time I calculated, 24 days was closer to three weeks. Well, I am not going to complain.

Mr. Rogers...

A few weeks ago our neighborhood smelled like skunk - not just bad, but like actual skunk. We never saw a skunk carcass laying around, and the smell didn't go away, so we figured we must have a skunk that lives down at the pond. The smell probably came from him spraying at an animal or car passing by. Since Merrick and I go on a walk around the neighborhood almost every night with Gracie in the Babybjorn, we decided it would be a good idea to develop a "skunk plan of action." We thought that whoever of us was holding the baby would run away, while the other would distract the skunk and take the brunt of the spray - if it ever came to that point. I can't imagine trying to bathe Gracie in tomato sauce to get rid of skunk - yuck!

So, with our skunk plan in place, we walked last night. It was dark - about 10:30 - and we were rounding the last turn before getting back to our house. I saw something move, and grabbed Merrick's arm to stop him. About 20 feet in front of us the skunk was sneaking around in the bushes and then ran across the street. We made it through our encounter odorless, and didn't need to use "operation don't spray Grace." I have never in my life seen a skunk (alive) and they are a little silly when they move around. His extra-fluffy tail was sticking straight up, and he was zig-zagging. It is almost as if he knew roads and cars are dangerous, so thought the zig-zagging would help him avoid the non-existent oncoming traffic.

So, our suspicions are confirmed... we have a new neighbor. I named him "Mr. Rogers" because I have always thought it would be fun to live in Mr. Rogers' neighborhood. =)

And then there was one...

I went to bed on Sunday night with only two diapers in the house. Dangerous, I know. I had been telling myself all weekend that I needed to run to Target to get more, but just hadn't gotten around to it. Anyway, we thought all was fine - I would change her once early in the morning, and then head straight to Target when it opened. Well, I changed her when we woke up, and was bustling around getting ready to head out when Gracie started screaming. Naturally, I checked to see what in the world was the matter. Well, she had pooped... a lot. (I forgot to mention that she hadn't pooped since Friday night - this one made up for lost time.) I took off her adorable ducky p.j's and proceeded to clean up. To give you an idea of the volume I will say that she had poop in her arm pits - quite literally! I think it took about 10 wipes and a bath before we could put on the one remaining diaper, a new outfit, and quickly head to Target.

Lesson learned.

Thankful Thursday...

The other day I was talking to Sarah Dorsey about a Bible study that she is a part of. The leader gave everyone a journal, and everyday they are supposed to write down three things they are thankful for. This seemed like a good idea, and my blog is the only journal I even somewhat keep up with. Also, I have been reading the New Testament to Gracie and in the letters written by Paul, he talks a lot about giving thanks. So, my goal is to post once a week (Thankful Thursday) of the three things I am most thankful for that week. I can't promise that some things won't repeat, but I'll do my best!

Thankful Thursday - week 1

1. Merrick's job - today we paid off our hospital and doctor bills for both me and Gracie. Knowing what the total ended up being, and the relatively small amount we ended up paying, I am very thankful for Merrick's job, the insurance that comes with that, and the ability to pay for our baby.

2. Health - this goes along with paying the bills... I am so thankful that our bills were for health. We are blessed with good health, and Gracie's health at birth and now is an answer to many, many prayers.

3. My "job" - in my opinion, I have the BEST JOB EVER! I get to spend all day, every day, with my daughter. I can't imagine doing anything different, and I am very thankful for a husband that makes this a priority.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Last weekend was Gracie's first...

...trip to Eugene! We spent the weekend down at Merrick's parent's house. It was fun to relax and spend time with family. The Diefs went too which was fun because we haven't spent much time with them lately....game day! The season is under way, and we can tell already that Grace is a huge college football fan. GO DUCKS!

...hike in the woods! The whole family (with the exception of Margaret - who stayed home cooking a fabulous meal!) went on a hike through the south hills of Eugene. There are some great hiking trails, not far from the Brownlee's house. We didn't go too far, mostly because we knew there was food waiting at home.

When she isn't too tired, she loves facing out in the BabyBjorn to take in the world.

...movie! On Sunday night we went to the $1.50 theater in Eugene to see Evan Almighty. We took Gracie with us, and she did great - just slept right through the whole thing.

She wore this cute dress to church (a hand-me-down from Syd) and when we tried to get it off, it got stuck on her head - we had to take a picture.

...picnic in the park! Before heading home on Monday, we went to Spencer's Butte Park with the Diefs for a picnic. Merrick's mom made potato salad and brownies, and we had bagel sandwiches and fruit. Merrick and I stopped by our favorite Asian place - Three Forks - to grab some noodles before heading to the park. The kids enjoyed the huge play ground and fountains - it was the perfect weather for it!

The gang at the park.

Swinging with daddy (we went to this park on Sunday just to play).