Catching Up

It has been forever since I have posted, but without a camera, I find there is not much to blog about...I am not a big fan of a blog without pics. But, I have borrowed my mom's camera and other pictures from this summer so I am ready to play some catch up. We have had a whirlwind summer with trips galore. We have cooked out more than you can imagine. And as the heat has risen hear in the deep south so has my discomfort in this pregnancy! I haven't really blogged about this sweet baby I have been carrying for the past 8 months, so I think I will dedicate this post to her.



I generally dislike ultrasound pictures, as I find them a little creepy. But, I had a third ultrasound later in this pregnancy and found this particular ultrasound picture kinda cool with a profile shot of her face. Now, I feel like I should give a little disclaimer on this pregnancy. One, this is my third pregnancy, two, I have a 19 month old I chase around all day and three I have a 7 year old to make sure was entertained all summer. So, to say this pregnancy has flown under the radar is an understatement. And in case you missed it, we are having another little girl! We are beyond thrilled to have 2 little girls so close in age. I am not sure if Lucy will feel the same way, but we are keeping our fingers crossed that she will love this baby as much as she loves her babydoll aka "bebe".



Ashley and I hadn't even talked names until I reached about 30 weeks and decided we had better at least start talking about it. We had several contenders, some that started with "L" and others that did not. But ultimately, we went with another "L" name to add to our brood. I had thought we had also decided on a middle name, and have even had several things monogrammed, but we may have changed our minds on that one, so for now, we can only say with certainty that her first name is



The girls will be sharing a room so not much will need or has been done in that area. In fact the only thing that I really had to do was order another crib and that wasn't done until a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, it takes 6-8 weeks for delivery and as of yesterday I am 3 weeks out. So more than likely, Miss Lynlee will come home without a crib...thats a third child for you. Lucy's crib converts to a double bed and I LOVE it, so of course I ordered the same one for Lynlee.



I have also been in a "nesting" frenzy. I had a slight melt down last weekend when I realized that I was 36 weeks and nothing had been prepared for the baby. So, I have been in overdrive since, washing bottles, going through baby clothes and getting them "Drefted", organizing the nursery closet, and every other closet in the house etc, etc. I must say, I feel much better now. It is somewhat ironic that the "nesting" hits towards the end of your pregnancy. The mear thought of doing anything wears me out, much less actually doing it. :)

Despite a somewhat lax pregnancy, I love this little one more than you can imagine. I am so excited and ready to meet her and we can't wait to see who she looks like and what her personality will be! We just scheduled the c-section for September 8th, but I have a feeling she will be making an earlier arrival or at least hoping she will!

French Toast Casserole

So, my camera broke right after our camping trip at the beginning of the month and I have been lost without it. I have been eyeing one of these for a while now, but I just don't know if I can fork over that kind of money at this time. Plus, Ashley's dad and his wife, Sue, just gave us a new Flip video recorder, so maybe that will do in the meantime...we will see. Anyhow, for Father's Day, I made a French Toast Casserole, courtesy of Ms. Paula Dean and wanted to share it with you. It was pretty easy and quick to make and was delicious! Not only did Ash and I devour it, but my kids loved it too. Enjoy!

Baked French Toast Casserole
Ingredients:
dash salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon sugar
1 cup milk
8 large eggs
2 cup half-and-half
Butter, for pan
1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Raspberry Syrup, recipe follows

Praline Topping:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2-teaspoon ground nutmeg

Raspberry Syrup:
1 cup raspberry preserves
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons raspberry liqueur (recommended: Framboise)

Directions:
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch thick each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9X13 casserole dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 45 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with Raspberry Syrup.

Praline Topping:
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Spread over bread as directed above.

Raspberry Syrup:
Combine ingredients in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir until warm and thinned out like syrup.

Servings: 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours 45 minutes

{I made the casserole exactly as it is written, the only modification I made was to skip the raspberry liquor in the sauce, and that is only because I was too lazy to make an extra trip to the liquor store! :) However, I'm sure it is worth it!}

Where My Motherfathers At!?

I am probably behind the ball on this one and everyone has already seen this, but just in case you haven't, hear you go. I saw this video a week ago on my friend Jordan's blog. With a third baby on the way, I have waited as long as I can to accept the fact that a 'swagger wagon' is in my very near future. And no matter how much I protest and pitch my own little fit, I do believe it is inevitable. But after seeing this video...maybe it won't be so bad after all! :) Where my mother fathers at!!!???

On Top of Old Smoky

Summer is in full force and I have been the biggest blog slacker. We have been out of town since school let out and I am just now getting a second to post about our trips. I am hoping it hasn't been to long and I can still remember some details....so here is my best attempt. Over Memorial Day weekend we made our annual camping trip to the Smoky Mountains. And yes, we really camp in tents, with sleeping bags, and a campfire. This is real deal camping or as real as it will ever get for me. Granted we are in a campground and there are bathroom facilities...but no showers mind you! :) And yes, I willingly went this year, pregnant and all. We made the long trip up Friday morning and arrived at our site around 4:30 that afternoon and spent most of the afternoon and evening setting up camp.

You may notice, that there are more coolers than tents and that is because we eat better camping than any other time all year....seriously! I don't know what it is (maybe the sticks of butter, cream and salt) but campfire food cannot be beat. And the other great thing about it was that Sue and Ash usually did the cooking. I tended to be the sous chef or clean up crew.
















Landon and his cousin, Jackson aka 'the boys' decided they wanted to camp by themselves this year, or sleep in their own tent. We all abided and helped them pitch their tent. But we all thought they would give in and be in ours our grandaddy's tent by morning. They were so excited!








I had a fit that night, when I heard an unfamiliar sound. I woke Ashley up to ask him what animal it was and he replied an owl and I believed him. But then it kept on and on and I could hear it moving all around the campground and proceeded to pitch a fit knowing that Ash was lying and then I went on to crying. I could not calm down and Ash got somewhat irritated with me. But I quickly reminded him that I was a pregnant woman camping in a tent! To top it all off, I needed to use the bathroom and was scared to death to leave the tent. But when nature calls (no pun intended) you have to buck up and do what you got to do. In my case, I grabbed both flashlights and a lantern and had Ash walk me over to the bathrooms! :) When we finally made it back to the tent, I was so worked up, I felt sick and spent the remainder of the night trying not to throw up. It was only 3:30 am.




I was awakened at the crack of dawn not only by birds, but by the boys too. We were all wrong...they made it through both nights, sleeping in their own tent. And they were oblivious to the drama from that night. (Mom, I know your having a fit, but our tent was mere inches from theres...they were safe) And that was that. The coyote did not return for the rest of the weekend.

The boys had a blast doing what boys do...exporing,






looking for water creatures,






finding crawfish,






climbing trees,






and finding snakes, (I was too chicken to go over and take a pic)


We drove over to Cades Cove and saw a coyote (they are rather small and not at all what I thought they would look like, in fact had we not been in Cades Cove and had someone not told me it was a coyote, I may have thought it was a stray dog) We got stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of Cades Cove...







...and Landon proceede to tell us they "needed to add some more animals" But in all honesty, they had more fun riding on the back of a pick up than seeing any animal.






Two days/nights of camping, sleeping in tents, smelling like campfire and no shower is my limit. I am ALWAYS ready to go the minute we wake up on that third day and this trip was no exception. Since it was a long weekend, we left the campground and went into Townsend, a small town at the entrance of the park and got a hotel for another night. I have no pictures from our hotel stay but it was just as much fun. The boys swam, adults showered and rested, and we all got a good nights sleep in a bed! This was our 4th year of camping and just as fun as the rest of the trip.s I couldn't help but look back over the past 4 years to see how much Landon and the other kids have grown up. I love this tradition and know Landon will look back and treasure his annual camping trip with the Neese clan.

Schools Out For the Summer...

and I couldn't be more excited! My main reason, besides the obvious of getting to spend every day with both of my kids, is the fact that we all get so sleep in an extra 30 minutes in the morning. I cannot tell you what a difference those 30 minutes make, but they make a HUGE difference in my day. Anyhow, I have digressed...

My first born, Landon, is an official 2nd grader and I am speechless! He has grown up so much this year not to mention the past 7 years. Here he is on his first day of 1st grade...



and here he is on his last...



He is an incredibly bright child both academically and socially. I am not sure how or why God chose me to mother and raise this sweet boy, but words cannot express my love and admiration for him. Since we moved last summer, he had to switch schools and did so without missing a beat. Anytime, we go anywhere he instantly makes a friend and jumps right into the play. He is an awesome big brother and his little sister adores him. And, she and I are so excited to get to spend our days with him now!

We have lots on our agenda starting with our annual camping trip this weekend in the Smokies. (And yes, I am going to attempt it all 7 months pregnant of me...I am sure I will have something interesting to blog about next week! ) Quickly followed by a week at the beach. (Praying hard that the oil will stay away) Then our days will be carefree and spent at the pool or in the sprinklers, on the playground or on the slip n slide, eating popsicles or making ice cream, going to camps, playing sports, having playdates and spend the nights and maybe another get away or two. So here's to school being out and the official start of summer!!!

Playground Possy

We have discovered a new park nearby that we now absolutely love. A good friend lives down the street and disclosed the secret to us and its now our new favorite go to. Its right next door to a small elementary school, and even though the school has its own playground, they have been using this one while the other one gets renovated. Anyhow, on our first visit to the park, a couple of 4th grade classes were out for their recess. I was a little hesistant letting Lucy run wild amongst the 9 year olds but she quickly fit right in. In fact, she pretty much took over for the entire 30 minute recess.

The teachers kept apologizing to me for their class being so "involved" with her. But I quickly explained that she has no idea she was a baby and definitely considered herself one of them. Once, they became aquainted...



...they played follow the leader with Lucy being the leader.





They made a fan tunnel for her while she went down the slide.



And when she needed a water break, she had plenty of assistants.



She LOVED all the attention and ate it up. I couldn't get enough pictures of my 18 month old and her 4th grade possy.



We really like our new park our new 4th grade friends!

Home of the Braves

It's that time of year again, where our second home becomes the ball field.



I don't mind it much anymore and have actually become fond of our time there. Landon's team is the Braves and they are really good. What a difference a year makes!? We are done with t-ball and have moved on to machine pitch, which I was a nervous wreck about at first. But, nearly every ball gets hit and more often than not it makes it into the outfeild...wow!! A year ago our team struck out at the tee!! Landons hitting has improved so much since the beginning of the season and he is one of the most if not the most consistent hitter on his team.



And he is so quick to get to base, he has been given the nickname "Landon Lightning". I mean, look at that lead!



Of course, it is serious business and each team has at least 4 coaches and teams stats are kept and posted online and the teams are ranked. The Braves are currently in 2nd place with the regular season ending Saturday. Then the playoffs begin. I say this with a tinge of sarcasm, but in all honesty, you can't help but get caught up in the hype. So of course, we go check the stats and ranking after every game. And I have even "boo"ed an umpires call...several times! But no matter how serious the "grown ups" are taking it, the kids are having a blast!



And of course, Miss Priss is everywhere and into everything she shouldn't be. She really deserves her own post, but I don't have time to snap any pictures of her. And when I say she is into everything, I mean it. The mud, batting cages, sneaking onto the feild or dugout, behind the feild...you name it! The only reason I have these pictures is because my parents came to a game and I had 5 minutes to get some shots...thank goodness. And never to be outdone she still manages to steal some attention!



Since, we are at the ball park so often and usually in the middle of dinner time, I have been searching and trying out crock-pot recipes. This one is so easy and good and is now one of my favorites and all 4 of us loved it! So if your in need of something quick and simple try it and enjoy! (This is perfect for Cinco de Mayo)

Crockpot Enchiladas

Place a package of chicken tenders and 1/2 jar of salsa in crock pot on high for 4-5 hours. Once cooked, shred chicken and add a 1/2 can of enchilada sauce. Cook another 5-10 minutes until heated. Pre-heat oven to 350 and fill a soft taco with crock pot mixture and place seam down in a dish. Once enchiladas are filled, top with remaining enchilada sauce and plenty of cheddar cheese. Bake 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly. I served with a can of black beans and yellow rice with sour creme and green onions.



I really love our game nights now and am treasuring each one of the them. Did I mention that the new baby is a girl! So, this is it. Landon is our ball player and will be the only reason to go out to the ball feild. He is growing up too darn fast and I am enjoying each minute of my sweet baby boy and little slugger! So go Braves and go Landon #40!!