I pretty much let Clark dictate what's for dinner when he's home. By that I mean I give him certain choices of new and old, and he selects.

I was so glad when he picked this one.


Ingredients:

- 1.5 C salsa of your choice
- juice from one lime
- 1/8 C fresh cilantro, chopped
- homemade taco seasoning or half a package of prepared taco seasoning
*Note: I used the homemade recipe linked above, but did have about 1/3 of the seasoning left over.*

- 1 jalepeno pepper, chopped
- 1 lb chicken breasts


Directions:

- Spray your crockpot and place your chicken inside. Sprinkle your taco seasoning over the chicken breasts (turning them over to fully coat); store leftover seasoning if desired.
- Add all your other ingredients to the crock pot with the chicken. Cook on low for six hours or high for about 3.5.
- Serve with desired sides (we chose rice and beans and salad (not pictured)... yummy!).


So easy and SO good.

Recipe adapted from KeyIngredient.com.

I've never made guacamole before. Not quite sure how that's possible, since hubs and I LOVE it. But when we knew he was going to be home for the Patriots v Seahawks playoff game, I knew it was a must.


Ingredients:

- 2 very ripe avocados
- 1 roma tomato, diced
- 1/4 to 1/3 C red onion, diced finely
- 1/8 to 1/4 C cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp jalepeno, chopped finely
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/3 to 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- juice from one lime

Directions:

- Mash your avocados as you desire. Add all your other ingredients, mixing until well combined.
THAT'S IT! Not only are you keeping your ingredients fresh, but it's so easy and SO delicious.

Perfect for game day or to share with some company!

Michael would live outside if we let him. That has been even more enforced now because we had our first day of playing with his construction trucks in actual dirt and rocks in the backyard. He wouldn't take a water break unless I let him drink from a "real water bottle". He's just such a boy. Trucks, dirt, and water all over the place. It was a good day.

And, yes, that's a construction truck on his shirt as well. Ask Michael and he will promptly tell you it's his, "Excavator shirt".

Last week I loved the portraits from simply sally mae, C'est la Vie, and At Home with the Howards. Make sure to give their pics a visit.

Part of The 52 Project from Jodi at Practising Simplicity.

Michael has taught me a lot. When we were surprised with his pregnancy, I wasn't sure how it would go. I was just coming to terms with working on some of my "big issues"... I wasn't ready for a baby. I was just figuring myself out.

But God thought otherwise, and so we did what we could do to "prepare".

Like any parent will tell you, Michael changed our lives. And, admittedly, in the beginning I didn't appreciate the change so much. The stretch marks, weight I couldn't lose, long nights, and some different sort of marriage tension weren't all things I had dreamed of when I dreamed of being a Mom. So, in the beginning, I fought all the change. I made lots of excuses, and I kept wishing for the days when Michael was older.

As you can imagine, I'm now wishing he'd stop growing.

These days I'm learning to pay attention. He's learning and growing at a rapid rate-- one I have a hard time always keeping up with. But now, instead of wasting time fighting it, I'm embracing it and rolling with all he's teaching me. Because, really, right now I'm pretty sure he's teaching me more than I'm teaching him.

Here are some things I've noticed the most as of late.

1. Leaving my phone behind is not the end of the world.

Ever since I got a phone my senior year of high school, it's been attached to me. I love people, especially those closest to me. So when I had this technology gifted to me where I could call and text and communicate in countless ways, it became a part of me. IT really used to bug some of my friends, and now I'm certain it annoys my family from time to time.

Well, it definitely annoys Michael.

When I'm playing with him, it needs to be about him. While he may self entertain really well, I shouldn't use it as an excuse to be on Facebook or Pinterest while I have a great source of entertainment in front of me. Not only that, but playing together can present so many learning opportunities. If I'm stuck on my phone, I'm missing out on some amazing moments with Michael. While I may always want to have it handy to put moments up on Instagram or whatever, I've learned that some I should really just keep for me, because that makes them all the more special.


2. It's OK to have some messes//dirt.

I used to not want to have people over unless my house looked spotless, even with a baby or toddler. I wanted everything cleaned up, and sometimes would interfere with Michael's play or routine to make it just that for other people. But I've learned that scattered cars in the living room are just the way it is. Sometimes a snack on the couch is needed for quality time. And, of course, sometimes the laundry can wait to be done so we can play basketball in the backyard or walk to the park.

Michael is the priority.

I don't want him to have memories of me not playing with him because I HAD to clean the windows. I mean, what is that? I'm working on balancing the housework with Michael, and not just turning on the TV or whatever so I can get things done. As long as the toilets are clean and there's nothing unsanitary about, I'm perfectly fine with friends coming over and my house not being picture-perfect. Because, really, it isn't magazine ready every single day.

What goes with that? Some dirt. Boys are drawn to it. I don't know if girls really are, too (I only had a small phase from what I recall), but boys are drawn to it. While Michael may start noticing when things are on him and ask for his hands to be wiped, it isn't always the case. So, a little dirt never killed anyone... but a lot does require a bath.

3. Pick your battles // Don't worry about other people.

This doesn't just apply to Michael. He has taught me that every battle isn't worth it. Making Michael stand still while we wait at the restaurant because I'm afraid people are thinking he's a wild-child isn't worth giving him chocolate or shoving the pacifier in his mouth so he doesn't scream. But I've also learned now what's worth fighting and what isn't even more with the hubs, because (if I'm being honest) my hot headedness and temper used to rule all my emotions and there were many arguments that just shouldn't have happened because they weren't THAT important.

If Michael is throwing a fit because he wants a candy bar at seven in the morning, though, that's worth sticking to my guns and telling him no. If he wants a toy at the store and is throwing an absolute fit, I'm not going to give in and buy him the toy just for the sake of other shoppers ears.

In the beginning I did many things to keep Michael pacified that may have started bad habits already because I was so worried about what other people thought. Being young parents is so intimidating because, well, other people look at you "that way" even worse because no only are they judging your parental decisions, but they're putting the blame to your age. It's not that we're THAT young, but we are viewed that way. And it's not just my imagination.


4. Slow Down.

I don't always enjoy napping with Michael. Sometimes I regret our co-sleeping decision. I get annoyed on days when I feel like I have a to-do list a mile long, or just things I personally wanted to do and Michael refuses to let me up from nap time or go down to bed without me.

Then I think about the days that will come where he doesn't want to snuggle. The days where he'll even refuse hugs. And the days where he will be too old to ask him for a kiss on the lips because it won't be adorable anymore.

I hold him a little closer, take in his deep breaths, and allow myself to rest my cheek on his head and rest. It's all I need sometimes and I just don't know it until that cuddle-bug shows me so. I'm so thankful for the slow days now, even if I'm not always enthusiastic in the moment.



What has your toddler/child taught you?

Not too long after we moved in to our new place I was dealing with some serious tooth pain. Turns out, I had to have ALL my wisdom teeth out.

I was not excited.

In order to come to that conclusion, I had to get in to see the oral surgeon. With Clark gone, living in a new place, I thought I was up a creek without a paddle. But, if you recall, I was paired with Jacquie for my first Cara Box experience, and she didn't hesitate to help. I was so grateful that her and her hubby were willing to watch Michael for a couple hours so I could figure out just what to do about my teeth.

And, of course, that meant I had to make them something sweet.


Ingredients:

- 1/3 C peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp canola/vegetable oil
- 1 C of sugar
- 1/3 C of nondairy milk (I used Silk Vanilla Soy)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 C flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 C of rolled oats
- 1/2 C or so of vegan chocolate chips


Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Mix the peanut butter, oil, sugar, nondairy milk and vanilla together.
- Add your flour, salt, and baking soda to your peanut butter mix.
- Carefully fold in your oats and chocolate chips.
- Place spoonfuls of cookie dough on a lightly oiled baking sheet and press each cookie down with a fork like you would peanut butter cookies (criss-cross).
- Bake for 6-10 minutes. Let stand two minutes or so before moving to a cooling rack.
*Note: This may be my new oven, but my cookies got a little crispy on the bottom. I would suggest setting your timer for about 6 minutes first just to be cautious!*

Molded from Paint and Tofu.

After the wedding, everyone needed a little of a breather. We had driven to Cali, helped as much as we good, rehearsed, and celebrated. It was such a wonderful time, but we decided to "escape" for a little bit to Balboa Park // The San Diego Zoo.





Michael kept asking to see the elephants, so that's the corner of the zoo we decided to do. It was HUGE, but so worth the time we took to walk around. As you can see, we didn't even reach the "end" of our corner and Michael passed out in the stroller.

I can't wait until we find a time to go back again.

Every weekend we see hot air balloons. These two were basically in our backyard, but it took a while to get a hold of my camera for the picture. Michael and I both act like, well, two-year-olds when the balloons show up. Somehow they just seem to make the day better. They are my favorite part of our new home thus far, and I suspect they're Michael's favorite thing as well.

From Practising Simplicity's 52 Project.

Last week we ventured to San Diego, CA for Clark's brother's wedding. We had such a wonderful time. It was mine and Michael's first time to California, and it's definitely not going to be our last. I may have fallen in love with it. The longer we're here, the more I'm loving the West Coast in general.

Don't quote me on that just yet, though.





Our first full day there was the wedding rehearsal, but that was in the evening. Most of the day we were able to spend it in the sunshine. These pictures were taken at the pier on Pacific Beach, San Diego.

One more installment of this mini-vacation to come.

We just came back from my brother in-law's wedding (post to come) and had such a wonderful time. The day after the wedding Clark, Michael, and I got to venture out for a little on our own and visit a corner of the San Diego Zoo. It was, in a cheesy word, magical. Michael asked more than once to see the elephants, and this is when we finally did.

From Practising Simplicity's 52 Project.

Michael the artist. His new favorite thing to do is spend countless moments concentrating on a work of art on the easel his Marmee and Papa gave to him for Christmas. So thankful for this precious gift and Michael's creativity.

I don't know if you saw any of the 52 Project, but it began with Practising Simplicity (follow the link) and she tells you about it in this post. My older sister, Katie from See You There, did the project all last year and I really wanted to join, but by the time I thought of committing we were halfway through the year.

This year I'm starting, and hoping that I will keep up the commitment. As you may know, more than anything, I love to share pictures of Michael.

Our last stretch was from Albuquerque, NM to the Phoenix area. It wasn't too terribly long, but it seemed like it. Driving that piece of the US, I half expected wild horses to run across the road or for cowboys to appear out of nowhere. I truly felt like I was, well, in a Western. Go figure.

In case you missed it, here are the links for the first, second, and third part of our journey.


We took obligatory pictures when we reached Arizona. This is our first BIG move after all. All others have been local or within the state of North Carolina. That is to say, all the moves we've made as a family. This does not include all the moves we made before marriage, since we both come from military families.




According to Google Maps, not including pit stops or anything like that, we traveled for 44 hours and 2,915 miles. We took six days to drive, really, and it wasn't split up evenly at all. But we survived... and WE MADE IT!

Want to see some pictures? Of course you do! If you follow my Instagram, please excuse... because most of them are from my phone.






My favorite things are the hot air balloons and, well, our house. While I am enjoying the weather, I confess I do miss having the seasonal cold. Let's not even talk about what the summer is going to be like.

But the hot air balloons, and our space? Yeah. I'm in love.

We left Iowa the day after Christmas. Sadly, we didn't have a lot of time to spare. We had to get to Arizona by Saturday at the latest because we knew Clark had to go back to work the first or second, and we needed plenty of time to unpack and attempt to settle in.

This was probably the longest stretch. We were "hung over" from Christmas and family time and I wanted nothing more than to just curl up and go to sleep, but we kept goin'. I'm actually rather proud of myself for this. If you remember from the first post, we were both driving. While Clark's job entails lots of driving and he's pretty accustomed to it, I am not. I used to love road trips, but six hours was usually my max of driving. Having a ten hour day with our two year old in the car... it was definitely a challenge. Here was our route.


I think the days of driving before weren't that bad because we were going to family. Knowing we were driving into the unknown afterwards was a little intimidating. It's not that I wasn't excited... I was just all nerves. The funny thing was Michael woke up the morning of the 26th and said, "Ready to go. Dada drive the big truck, Mama drive the car." It's like he knew that we were going somewhere important. He was ready... or he was just used to our routine of two days to stay, and then hitting the road again.

But before we made any hotel stops, we made our way to Lawrence, KS to visit my grandparents. I'm lucky if I get to see them once a year, so it was so wonderful that it worked out for us to see them. Although Michael was a bit of a grumpy gils, he managed to enjoy spending time with them after settling in a little bit.

(Please excuse the quality of the pictures, they were taken with my phone.)




Afterwards, he was pretty much done for the day...


until we had to stop for dinner and McDonald's was the only food option. Let me tell you, traveling is rough. I know you can make healthier options, but it seemed almost impossible with the route we took. Needless to say I'm making up for it now!


He didn't eat anything except the fries. Our child has yet to venture into trying chicken nuggets... or, really, any meat other than tuna.We made it to Ponca City, OK. It wasn't quite our goal. We had hoped to make it to Oklahoma City... but I was just too tired. I needed to stop, and so we did.

But I made up for it. The next day we drove all the way to Albuquerque, NM. Which, by the way, isn't exactly a party. It seemed like we hit so many stretches of nothing. It was beautiful, but definitely different than what I'm used to. Michael, bless him, did a little better the next day. We kept telling him, "We're going to the big house!"


It really seemed to be catching. Just wait until you see where we finally landed!

We were in Fayetteville, NC for two days or so before we hit the road early Dec. 22nd. Our goal was to make it to Iowa the evening of the 23rd (which we did), but it meant two long days of driving. Here's the route we took.


My parents were rather worried about us going through WV. After all, there's usually ALWAYS weather. The funny thing was, it was actually VA that gave us trouble. It was pouring down rain through the entire state... er... the entire part we drove through. West Virginia, on the other hand, was sunny and positively beautiful. When we stopped, I snapped a few shots of Michael and our UHAUL.




Annnnnnnnyway...

We made it to Iowa right on time. I was so excited to get to spend Christmas with my parents, sisters, and niece. It wasn't the same without my brother-in-law, but it was still pretty magical.







We had so much fun. Poor Michael was a little overwhelmed. After being in two hotels, Mimi and Pop's House, Marmee and Papa's House... the morning after Christmas he told us he was ready to go home. We kept playing up our move as, "We're going to the big house!"

He's still a little unsure... but we're making progress!

It's precisely midnight on the East Coast... which means it's 10pm here. STILL! 2014 is looking good, even if 2013 wasn't all that bad. Here are my favorite moments via Instagram/Flipagram from 2013.



I know... it goes fast and there are a lot of them, but it was really hard to narrow it down!

Do you have any resolutions for 2014? I decided this year I'm just going to go with it. I have a lot I want to accomplish, but always putting pressure on the year seems to make it, well, stressful. I don't want to do that this year. So, here's to making this year one of the best, least-stressful years!