The Mini Leather Recliner

Roman and his chair! This is his favorite thing to do in the mornings that mommy has to go to work. I am ALWAYS running late, so I give Roman his milk and let him watch either Elmo's World or a little bit of Baby Einstein in his chair. He loves it! Unfortunately, 20 minutes of TV is my savior! It's the only way I can get my hair dry and makeup on when I'm a single parent during the week!

Every boy needs his own personal leather recliner!

Cabo!

Just booked our vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for October! We're so excited and can't wait to spend 5 days here...

When we booked our Mediterranean cruise last May, we got a complimentary 5 night stay in Cabo to use anytime this next year. Trust me, we wouldn't be going on another vacation if it weren't completely free! Once again, we are flying standby for free also. How can you not go?! I kept thinking that this must be a bad resort for being free, but I looked on Trip Advisor and it was rated #6 out of the top 66 resorts! The only thing is that we are leaving Roman with Matt's parents. I kind of feel bad for going on three vacations without him and he's not even two! Oh well, We'll just give him extra love and kisses these next few months!

Shrimp Pesto Pizza!

Last weekend I went crazy! Something hit me! I cooked all morning on Saturday! Literally. I made potato salad, peach blueberry cobbler, broccoli salad, and an amazing shrimp pesto pizza. Matt was loving my new hobby!! We had a great time eating all of the wonderful food.

The pizza was SO yummy!!!

Roman ate 3 whole pieces! The whole family loved the pizza. Little Captain was waiting patiently for a piece to fall on the floor!Here's the recipe...

Shrimp and Spinach Pesto Pizza
1 14-inch store-bought pizza shell or homemade pizza dough
1 recipe for roasted shrimp (below)
1/4 cup spinach pesto (recipe below)
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
If you're using a store-bought pizza shell, skip step 3. There's no need to pre-bake the dough.
Step 1. Prepare the roasted shrimp (recipe below).
Step 2. Prepare the spinach pesto (recipe below).
Step 3. Prepare the pizza dough: If you're using homemade pizza dough or uncooked pizza dough from a store, place a pizza stone, pizza pan or an empty rimless cookie sheet in the oven and preheat it to 475 degrees F. Allow the empty pizza stone, pizza pan or cookie sheet to stay in the oven a good 20-30 minutes while you're preparing the dough. It is this preheating that makes the crust taste crispy on the outside, yet chewy on the inside, like pizza from a brick oven.
Roll the dough out onto a cutting board or silicone mat sprinkled with cornmeal. Press or roll the dough into a 14-inch round (or whatever shape you like -- it doesn't really matter). Brush the dough with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. Using a pizza peel or silicone mat, slide the dough onto your preheated pizza stone, pizza pan or cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes. Remove the dough from the oven.
Step 4. Spread the spinach pesto sauce evenly over the homemade pizza dough or pizza shell, leaving a 3/4-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle the roasted shrimp evenly over the pesto sauce, then top with the goat cheese. Return to the oven and bake 2 more minutes, just until the cheese melts. Do not over bake or the shrimp will become rubbery. Remove immediately and serve.

To make the Roasted Shrimp:
1 lb. large raw shrimp, peeled and deviled
1 tsp. olive oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place shrimp on a jelly roll pan and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Turn to make sure shrimp are well coated. Spread out in a single layer and roast exactly 5 minutes -- no more! Set a timer. This will avoid overcooking the shrimp. Remove from the oven and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 475 degrees F to cook the pizza.

To make the Spinach Pesto:
2 cups fresh spinach (tightly packed)
3 cloves garlic
2 oz. Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
Place the spinach, garlic, Parmesan cheese and pine nuts in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse several times, until the mixture starts to become uniform. Drizzle in the olive oil and process until smooth.

Goo Goo for Gaga

Last Friday morning Lady Gaga was on the Today show. We're not big fans of hers, but we had it on because I always watch the Today show. I think my boys were mesmerized by her performance!

What do you think?

After the performance we all headed out to the grocery store for a family outing. Who doesn't wear hats to the grocery store?

Dinner on China with the Longs!

Last Friday night we had the Longs over for dinner and for the kids to play. They had a great time! Chloe can now say "Ro"! She was very excited to come over and see him!

Who doesn't love a little "peek-a-boo" in the tent!?

Chloe kept trying to hug and kiss Roman. He didn't know what to do!

This just cracks me up!

Chloe is obsessed with Matt! Chug it Roman! Go Roman go!

Roman kept taunting Chloe. Honestly, it was so funny!

Everyone needs a little snack in the tent!

Matt and Chloe time!

Lindsey and me with our babes

bath time!

playing in the bath is so much fun!!

We set up a pack n play in the guest room for Chloe. Roman and her loved playing in it. We would say, "Go night night" and they would both lay down and pretend to go to sleep for a second. So cute!

I love it! The next morning, Roman came in the guest room looking for Chloe! He saw the pack and play and giggled. It was so cute!

The Daddy's took over!

Finally, the kids were down and we could all enjoy dinner

Our first time to use the crystal and china!

Only the best for the Longs! We made a lime citrus avocado salad, roasted cumin potato salad, garlic bread, and baked salmon with a cucumber sauce. We topped it off with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and homemade chocolate chip cookies. Yummy!

16 months old and learning...

Every day is a new adventure with Roman lately. He is learning so much! We're having such a blast with him!

I just had to buy this outfit for him! How precious?! We got him dressed up for church.

Just as soon as I last wrote how great of an eater he is, things changed and Roman has been so picky lately! They always make liars out of you! Oh well, we're hoping it's another stage.

I taught Roman the sign for "please" the other night. It was so cute! He kept wanting pieces of avocado from daddy and would rub his whole tummy with both hands trying to sign please. It apparently stuck in his brain, because he did it the next morning too!

Say "please"

Roman loves to throw everything! Daddy is working on teaching him to throw balls and Roman took it to a whole new level. He is throwing food, plates, blocks toys, cups, pretty much anything goes!! We're really trying to work on discipline!!

We also like to "eat" the big ball...

We're loving being silly with our little man!
Waving at daddy! Or Sic em bears!

We're working on teaching Roman all of his body parts. So far he knows his head, hair, hands, feet, and ears. He's also got the tongue down!

Love my boys!

Fourth of July Weekend

We ended up having a great weekend with family despite Roman not feeling 100%. We got to Tulsa last Wednesday night late and spent all day Thursday there. Friday afternoon we drove to the lake and stayed until Sunday evening.

Thursday night Grandma Jones took us all out to dinner and we captured a few pictures of Roman, Bill, and Pam. So cute!!!If you look closely, you can see Matt hugging Grandma Jones in the background.

Cousins: Henry, Harper, Taylor, and Roman playing in the baby pool at the lake

Roman loved his plum before breakfast!

Check out the amazing view of the lake from the living room!

Lee with her babies, Harper and James

By the way, James is only 2-1/2 months and already over 16lbs! He looks like a 4 month old baby. Not to mention cute little Harper is only 2-1/2 and looks like a 4 year old! Tiny little Lee has some big babies!!

We love to swing on the porch!

Macy and Henry. Doesn't he look so much like Roman!

Roman LOVED the trampoline!

Sunday afternoon we all had a hot dog cook out. It was so much fun!

Mommy loves hot dogs and smores!!

It was hard to chase Roman down by the water!

Pa and Roman! So cute!